Americans are spending more eating out than in groceries

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Americans are spending more money at restaurants than on groceries — and the gap has been widening.
People spent 20.7% more at restaurants than they spent on groceries in 2022 — and that figure rose to 29.5% in the first two months of the year, according to Commerce Department data compiled by JLL.
Put another way, consumers spent about $130 on dining out for every $100 they spent on groceries to start the year.
Restaurants enjoyed another strong month in March, too.
Restaurant spending rose 13% in March, compared with a year earlier, outpacing retail’s overall 2.9% gain, the Commerce Department reported Friday.
It wasn’t long ago that Americans spent more on groceries than at restaurants, even when you ignore the pandemic.
Looking at the last 10 years, groceries topped restaurants in every month of 2013 and 2014 and into early 2015.
Inflation has been battering consumers on both fronts — restaurants and groceries — so people probably figure they won’t save much money by eating at home.