Thank you for being a free subscriber to From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy. This is a preview of the additional posts paid subscribers receive three times per month. A reminder that it’s just $30 per year—or $2.50 per month—to keep this newsletter going. Sign up for the upcoming Newsletter Workshop on December 8 or Research & Organization for Independent Writers on December 10. If you’d like to know more about me, visit alicia-kennedy.com. People in the U.S. are eating out far more than they’re cooking these days. A recent examination of USDA data by the Escoffier culinary school—which landed in my inbox via a rare well-positioned press release—shows that while in 2020, the peak of COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns saw the highest amount of money spent for “food at home” since 1997, that this trend has totally reversed. “Food away from home” is accounting for more spending than ever, even accounting for inflation. There are certainly mixed signals, though: An NPR report from spring noted while restaurant spending was down for those lower incomes, interest in fine dining was up. MarketWatch suggested a more overall decline. The whispers from restaurant owners in my world say business isn’t great. Who to believe? I wonder, how is this working out in your world? Are you cooking more lately, or less? I find myself ordering a vegetarian burrito or wanting the release of a night out more when I’m overworked, that’s for sure, but my husband and I tend to reserve eating out for special occasions and traveling. Tell me about your dining in vs. dining out habits in the comments. Eating![]() ![]() Keep reading with a 7-day free trialSubscribe to From the Desk of Alicia Kennedy to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives. A subscription gets you:
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