It’s axiomatic that people eat out less often during a recession, but restaurant meals may not be such a bad value in Boston. According to the latest Consumer Price Index, the cost of “food at home” increased at almost twice the rate as “food away from home” in the Boston area from March 2007 to March 2008 — even as the two categories showed almost identical cost increases nationally.
In metro Boston, household groceries went up by 6.0 percent (versus 4.3 percent nationally), while restaurant and take-out meals went up by only 3.5 percent (versus 4.6 percent nationally). The overall Consumer Price Index dropped by 0.4 percent during the same period, both nationally and in Boston, thanks to declines in transportation and energy costs.
There has been a moderation of menu prices lately in Boston — or is it more accurate to say there’s a sense of desperation brought on by a glut of high-end eateries? (“Restaurant Week,” like the Christmas season, seems to be getting longer every year.) Whatever the reason, does it mean that there’s some breathing room for a hike in the meals tax, as Gov. Patrick is proposing? Restaurant owners, not surprisingly, say no.
