Rising Wages and Vegetable Costs Drive Up Restaurant Prices Over 5% in the Past Year

• Restaurant prices rose 5.1% in the past year, outpacing grocery prices (1.2%) and making dining out more expensive • Higher wages and labor costs in the service sector are contributing to rising menu prices • Food away from home saw a 0.7% monthly increase in January, accounting for 148% of the overall inflation rate • Fresh vegetable costs are climbing, with tomato prices up 4.6% monthly partly due to farmers allocating more space to higher-profit crops • Egg prices dropped 28.6% in the past year but rose 3.4% in January, potentially signaling an end to falling egg costs amid ongoing bird flu