Report: Grocery Stores Still Edge Out Restaurants

June 16, 2021
Food retailers are hanging on to the advantage they gained over restaurateurs in share of stomach during the pandemic.

Food retailers are hanging on to the advantage they gained over restaurateurs in share of stomach during the pandemic, according to the latest annual report from the Food Marketing Institute.

Food retail retained an edge of 12 percentage points over foodservice in March, the latest month available. That gap was 40 percentage points at its widest, in April 2020.

For context, restaurants had been gaining share of stomach steadily for 30 years, surpassing retail stores about six years ago.

“Throughout this past year, American grocery consumers have developed a deeper relationship with their kitchens, increased their healthy eating consciousness, and have learned new ways to shop,” FMI President and CEO Leslie Sarasin said.

The report, “U.S. Grocery Shopper Trends 2021,” states that 58% of shoppers report eating more at home and nearly half (49%) report cooking or preparing their own meals more than before the pandemic. It also notes that nearly two-thirds of shoppers have at least tried buying groceries online.

Sponsored Recommendations

Kaeser is the world’s leading air systems specialist and offers a full range of compressed air solutions for almost any application. From industrial compress...
Take a moment to see the scope of Kaeser's commitment to innovative system designs that guarantee ultra-reliable compressed air, easy maintenance, and greater efficiency.
Ventilation has a huge impact on the ambient temperature in the compressor room and is often the missing link to temperature regulation issues. Here are four factors to consider...
Learn how to get a smart, reliable, energy-efficient compressed air system delivered in a turnkey, weatherproof and temperature-controlled enclosure that needs little or no onsite...