Thursday July 16, 2026, 08:58:35

Restaurant Spending Sets a New Record Relative to Grocery Spending, But…

By Mark Kalinowski

Data out today from the U.S. Census shows that restaurants’ market share (with grocery stores/supermarkets making up the other component) was 57.1% in June 2026. This 57.1% figure is a new all-time record in favor of the restaurant industry.

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Tuesday July 14, 2026, 08:53:58

Restaurants: Price Inflation Gap Relative to Food-At-Home Shrinks a Bit

By Mark Kalinowski

The latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) data shows that prices for food-at-home (grocery stores and supermarkets) rose by +2.7% in June — sequentially the same as May’s +2.7%. This +2.7% number for June compares with price for food-away-from-home (restaurants) that increased by +3.4% year-over-year in June (sequentially down by -10 basis points from May’s +3.5%). This marks the 39th month in a row for which restaurant pricing is outpacing grocery/supermarket pricing.

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Wednesday July 8, 2026, 07:00:00

Kalinowski Restaurant Industry Index for Q2 2026 Takes a Little Step Back

By Mark Kalinowski

With this report, we update our data-driven Kalinowski Restaurant Industry Index for Q2 2026 to +1.7%. This is a bit of a step back from both Q4 2025 and Q1 2026, each of which produced slightly better results. Times remain… not easy.

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