Americans Spent More on Dining Out in 2025

Total spending for food away from home outpaced grocery purchases for the first time in 2025.

Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Dining Out

Americans Spent More on Dining Out in 2025

Live Poll

Do you plan to increase your household's spending on dining out compared to grocery shopping?

In 2025, Americans spent $1.415 trillion on food away from home, officially surpassing the $1.097 trillion spent on food at home. This shift represented a total combined expenditure of $2.51 trillion for the year.

Why it matters

The change underscores a sustained shift in consumer behavior where dining out has become a primary driver of the U.S. food economy. Growth in restaurant expenditures significantly outperformed the growth seen in grocery store sales throughout the year.

Full-service restaurant sales rose 7.9% to $488.4 billion, while limited-service outlets and grocery stores both saw growth of 3.3%. In total, 56% of all food spending in 2025 went toward meals prepared outside the home.

The players

USDA

The United States Department of Agriculture is a federal agency that uses Census Bureau data to monitor and track national food purchasing trends.

Census Bureau

This federal agency provides the statistical data used by government bodies to analyze economic activity across the country.

The details

The USDA tracks these trends by monitoring food acquired across various outlets, including totals for taxes and tips. Full-service dining saw the most significant acceleration, outpacing the growth rates of both fast-casual establishments and traditional grocery retailers.

2024 served as the baseline year for calculating expenditure growth rates.
2025 was the period during which away-from-home spending surpassed home spending.

Roadmap

This pivot reflects a long-term evolution in the convenience economy where service-based food consumption is reshaping the national supply chain. The data suggests that consumer reliance on commercial food preparation is now the dominant force relative to traditional home cooking.

Higher dining expenditures mean households are increasingly budgeting for service fees, tips, and convenience premiums rather than raw grocery costs. This shift often forces families to reconcile higher monthly food budgets with the time-saving benefits of eating out.

The takeaway

The sustained growth in restaurant sales suggests that dining out has shifted from an occasional luxury to a core component of the average American budget. Consumers looking to manage their food spending may find that re-evaluating the frequency of these visits is the most effective way to influence their total annual costs.