By Richard Horgan Los Angeles (Knewz) — Slowly but surely, U.S. restaurants are inching their way back to pre-pandemic foot traffic levels. According to The NPD Group, total restaurant visits in February were eight percent lower than in February 2020. While that may seem like negative news, the truth is it’s rather remarkable given that the comparative data comes from a time when the word pandemic was on the menu. “February began with visits soft as Omicron suppressed consumer sentiment for dining out,” said NPD Food Industry Advisor David Portalatin. “On the other hand, the back half of Febru…