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Restaurant menu price inflation is not slowing

Inflation at restaurants continued to outpace inflation at supermarkets and other retail food outlets, according to new federal data.

Workforce

Restaurants and bars near a full job recovery

Food services and drinking places added nearly 70,000 jobs in February, according to new federal data. They are now 100,000 jobs short of pre-pandemic levels.

Technomic's Take: Restaurant menu price inflation continues to tick up. But consumers are showing few signs of cutting back on eating out.

The Charlotte, N.C.-based chain sold a record number of doughnuts in 2022. And its Insomnia Cookies brand also generated strong revenue growth.

The cost of a night out continued to grow last month as the gap between restaurants and grocery stores narrowed.

The Bottom Line: There is a sense that low-income consumers are changing their spending at fast-food restaurants and focusing more on value. But the impact appears limited, at least so far.

Restaurants and hotels led all economic segments in job creation during January, yet still came up about half a million jobs short of where their payrolls were pre-pandemic, according to new federal statistics.

Operators have increasingly aggressive growth plans and are proposing more complicated restaurant formats than ever. But permitting and construction delays are slowing it all down.

Prices for restaurant meals rose 8.3% year over year in December as full-service operators slowed their price increases. Inflation as a whole also slowed down in the month.

The Bottom Line: Costs soared, menu prices rose, but consumers kept spending. Here’s a look at the restaurant industry’s 2022 in a few key charts.

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