America’s nearly 1 million restaurants will be a leading job creator in 2013 and will post record sales 3.8 percent higher than this year despite a challenging operating environment, according to the National Restaurant Association’s 2013 Restaurant Industry Forecast released Tuesday.

But the head of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association (MVRA) said she believes the recession hit restaurants in southwest and west-central Ohio harder than it did the nation’s restaurants as a whole.

“I don’t know if we’re going to hit that 3.8 percent (sales increase) mark, but I’m hopeful,” said MVRA President Shanon Morgan.

Many restaurant owners and managers in southwest and west-central Ohio are anxious about the impact of the nation’s new health-care reform laws and are hesitant to hire, Morgan said. Rising fuel costs also are forcing food costs higher and adding to restaurateurs’ anxiety, she said.

Restaurant association officials predicted in a news release Tuesday that consumers — despite being strapped for cash — will dine out in strong numbers in 2013 “because it is an important component of their lifestyle.” Total restaurant industry sales are expected to exceed $660 billion in 2013, and the projected 3.8 percent increase over 2012 would mark the fourth consecutive year of sales growth for the industry.

In 2013, the restaurant association expects the restaurant industry to add jobs at a 2.4 percent annual rate, nearly a full percentage point above the projected 1.5 percent gain in total U.S. employment. Restaurants will employ 13.1 million nationwide next year, or about 10 percent of the total U.S. workforce.

“Despite a continued challenging operating environment, the restaurant industry remains a strong driver in the nation’s economy,” said Dawn Sweeney, the National Restaurant Association’s CEO.

In the west-central and southwest Ohio, the casual segment of the restaurant industry — pizza places, sub shops, burger eateries and sandwich shops — has been expanding rapidly in recent months, while the fine-dining segment has remained comparatively stagnant.

Morgan singled out Miami Valley-based chains Hot Head Burritos — which operates restaurants in Springfield, Middletown, Lebanon and Liberty Twp. in addition to several Dayton-area locations — and OinkADoodleMoo as restaurants that are expanding and “going strong.” And she noted the positive developments in downtown Dayton and the Oregon District, where a half-dozen restaurants recently have opened or announced plans to open soon.