Home cookin': Diners skipping restaurants and making more meals at home as inflation trend inverts
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The current trend marks a reversal from previous years when grocery inflation outpaced restaurants as food producers raised prices, often fattening their profit margins. “You are seeing consumers being much more discretionary as they treat restaurants,” said McDonald's CEO Christopher J. Kempczinski, in a call with analysts following the earnings report. Consumers have been focusing more on groceries and eating at home, and that's driving sales volumes for companies like General Mills, which makes Cheerios cereal, Progresso soups and Haagen-Dazs ice cream. “Consumers are still economically stressed, so that played out the way we thought.” General Mills and other food producers had raised prices to offset rising inflation, resulting in profit margin boosts for many of them.