COVID-19 working paper: the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on food-away-from-home spending. (COVID-19 Working Paper No. AP-100.)

ABSTRACT

This paper summarizes national changes in the frequency and dollar amount of U.S. consumers' food-away-from-home (FAFH) purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis draws on frequently updated proprietary data sources to measure national FAFH trends in average monthly spending and the weekly changes in store transactions. Both spending and transactions at restaurants substantially fell following the onset of the pandemic and have remained below pre-pandemic levels more than 1 year later. Differences in the decline in spending and transactions across restaurant types and mealtimes are notable. Although restaurant restrictions are loosening across the country in the first half of 2021, visits and spending have been slow to recover to their pre-pandemic levels.