Americans today apply the term “foodie” to anyone who loves gourmet dining. Are you one?

Oct. 6. Being a foodie can be quite expensive, especially during the heavy inflation of 2022.

Restaurant prices rose 8 percent between August 2021 and August 2022.

Even cooking your own gourmet meals can be pricy, as grocery store prices rose 8.3 percent in the same period.

Source WalletHub

To determine the best and cheapest foodie scenes, WalletHub compared more than 180 U.S. cities across 29 key indicators of foodie-friendliness. Our data set ranges from cost of groceries to affordability and accessibility of high-quality restaurants to food festivals per capita.

Charlotte placed 48th overall, 98th in affordability and 44th in diversity, accessibility and quality.

Dining trends

—“Some developments that came out of the pandemic are here to stay. QR code menus, for instance, are economical for the restaurant and fine with most of the public. Printing menus and having staff distribute them is now an unnecessary expense.

“Groceries are terribly expensive now so that is affecting home meals as well.

“Restaurants have adapted by either raising prices or cutting portion sizes. Staffing is a struggle, so some venues are limiting their hours and seating capacities.”

Claire Stewart – Associate Professor, New York City College of Technology, The City University of New York

—“After a big jump in take-out food and delivery due to the pandemic, people are starting to go out again, but the development of take-out options may be here to stay.

“Those restaurants that were able to accommodate a business in a world of social distancing, were able to survive and even thrive during the pandemic, and may continue to do so in the future.

“Easy-to-use ordering apps, simplified menus, healthy options and any option that allows the customer to have the power to easily chose how they want to eat their food will continue to thrive.”

Martin Talavera, Ph.D. – Assistant Professor, Kansas State University