Despite Rosstat reports indicating growth in real household incomes, restaurant and café attendance is declining across the country, with consumers increasingly turning to fast food and ready-to-eat meals from grocery stores, Kommersantwrites, citing analytical data. According to Chek Index, nationwide the number of fast-food orders rose by 7% from January to October 2025, while the number of receipts in restaurants and bars fell by 1%. Russians also placed 1% more orders at cafés and canteens instead of restaurants.
This trend is more pronounced in Moscow. Calculations by Focus Technologies show that the volume of orders at classic restaurants and cafés in the capital fell by 5% year-on-year over the first ten months, while their revenue increased by 9% due to a 16% rise in the average bill. In the fast-food and low-cost dining segment, foot traffic grew by 3%, with the average bill rising by 12% and revenue by 16%, analysts found. Chek Index notes that, over the same period, traffic in Moscow’s restaurants and bars decreased by 3%, in cafés and canteens by 1%, while fast-food outlets saw a 4% increase.
Fast-food chains such as Burger King, Teremok, and Vkusno — i Tochka confirmed growth in order numbers. The latter noted that it has been able to contain price increases thanks to “business scale and long-term supplier relationships.”
According to Focus Technologies representative Mikhail Vasilyev, the shift of Russian consumers toward cheaper dining options reflects an “adjustment of consumer behavior,” partly driven by a “slowdown in the growth of disposable incomes.”
Official Rosstat data, however, indicate continued improvement in household well-being: real disposable incomes rose by 9.2% year-on-year in January–September, and the national average salary—adjusted for inflation—grew by 3.8% as of August, surpassing 100,000 rubles per month for the first time. At the same time, a Gallup survey found that 31% of Russians say they do not have enough money for food, and major retailers report a significant drop in food sales as consumers shift to “savings-oriented behavior.”
Vasilyev adds that real disposable incomes of Moscow residents “remain roughly at last year’s level.” City dwellers are increasing the share of mandatory expenses — food, rent, and utilities.
Some Russians are replacing visits to restaurants and cafés with purchases of ready-to-eat meals in grocery stores: in 2025, demand for such products grew by 12%, according to Briskly. From October of last year to September 2025, sales of ready meals in grocery chains rose by 24.8% year-on-year, and their share increased by 0.9 percentage points to 8.2%, according to data from Nielsen.
