Figure 24: Foodservice Growth Normalizes Above Grocery, 2019–2025

Year-over-year sales growth (%) — Food Services & Drinking Places vs Grocery Stores. After the post-pandemic surge, foodservice growth decelerated but stabilized in 2025 at 5.6% — still outpacing grocery's 2.7%. The gap has not closed. Foodservice continues on a faster growth path than retail grocery, driven by higher-income consumers who maintained dining-out habits through the inflation period.
Foodservice Growth 2025
+5.6%
Stabilized — same as 2019 baseline
Grocery Growth 2025
+2.7%
Steady but slower since 2022
FS Growth Premium
+2.9 pts
Normalized gap vs +9 pts in 2023
Source: U.S. Census Bureau via FRED — RSFSDP (Food Services & Drinking Places), MRTSSM4451USN (Grocery Stores) / Seafood Datasearch