A National Restaurant Association forecast predicts that restaurant sales in New England will hit a record of $19.6 billion in 2004, including a 4.3 percent increase in the state of Maine.

Nationally, the restaurant industry is entering its 13th consecutive year of real growth, with its revenue equal to about 4 percent of the gross domestic product, according to Steven C. Anderson, president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association.

“Restaurants serve as an important and essential component to the American lifestyle, as well as the cornerstone of the national economy,” Anderson said in a statement.

Maine restaurant sales are expected to reach $1.3 billion in 2004, which is second lowest only to Vermont among New England states. However, with the restaurant industry growing, the National Restaurant Association expects jobs to increase. While U.S. employment dropped 0.2 percent in 2003, the restaurant industry saw an increase of 1.2 percent.