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Do you eat out less often than you used to? And maybe get smaller orders? Has your weekly sushi ritual become a once-in-a-while thing, and breakfast on the way to work turned into just coffee? Maybe you’ve started picking up your pizzas instead of paying for delivery.

Here’s the thing: We all know that restaurant and takeout meals are more expensive than eating at home, but over the past two years, their cost has risen at nearly double the pace of groceries, according to government data. In fact, while the supermarket still gives us our fair share of sticker shock, now that the pandemic is clearly in the rearview mirror, it’s the cost of eating out that can feel even harder to keep up with.

This is why 37% of Americans surveyed by YouGov last summer said they were eating out less often than a year earlier, and 54% said when they did eat out, they were finding ways to spend less. Whether it was choosing cheaper restaurants, ordering fewer items, or skipping drinks or dessert, the theme was the same: Do what it takes to keep food budgets from ballooning.

It’s not just a matter of what we can afford, either. Higher prices have changed the intrinsic value proposition for eating out, with some people finding the quality and portion size not worth the cost. Among the YouGov respondents, only 28% believed restaurants were pricing their meals fairly.

Younger adults are especially sensitive to this quality tradeoff. And surprisingly, the hardest sell for them is fast food. Between 2023 and mid-2025, growth in fast-food spending among Gen Zs slowed more than any age group, according to data from McKinsey & Co. (Of course, a burger chain doesn’t offer the same ambiance/opportunity to socialize, either.)

Some consumers have also given up the convenience of delivery to save money. Last year pickup orders were 14% more frequent, while delivery orders rose just 2%, according to McKinsey. And when people did get their food delivered, they got less.

So what?

Eating out is a fruitful place to cut back if your paycheck isn’t stretching as far as it used to, or you’re worried about where the economy is headed. In 2024, the average U.S. household spent nearly $4,000 on restaurant and takeout meals, according to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That compared with just over $6,200 on groceries.

This doesn’t mean every busy weeknight suddenly calls for home cooking. In today’s hustle-bustle world, convenience still counts. But eating out isn’t always going to be worth the added cost.

A good rule of thumb is to save the premium for the meals that genuinely buy you something — time on a chaotic workday, an opportunity to meet friends, or a craving you can’t easily recreate at home. For more routine meals, simple swaps like picking up instead of paying for delivery, skipping add-ons, or ordering enough to have leftovers can help keep convenience in the mix without letting it quietly overtake your budget.

Related Reading

With Higher Grocery Prices, Is Eating at Home Still Cheaper? (SoFi)

The Best Frozen Dinners That Beat Dining Out (Eat This, Not That!)

Restaurant Hacks to Stretch Your Dollar (Buzzfeed)

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