Pandemic-Related Increase in Consumer Restaurant Spending Using Mobile Apps Continued Through 2022

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic led to large shifts in how consumers spent money on and acquired food. USDA, Economic Research Service (ERS) researchers examined the changes in how individuals in the United States acquired food away from home by analyzing spending trends on carryout and delivery. They examined these trends among full- and quick-service restaurants by mobile application types (including mobile use of restaurant websites) using 3-month rolling spending averages from December 2019 through December 2022.