Archive · March 2026
Restaurant food costs in March 2026.
4 months have been published since March 2026. This page stays on March 2026. Free to quote with a link.
Recomputed from current BLS data, not frozen: a Bureau revision moves the figure below. That is the published revision policy. The URL is permanent either way.
Index · March 2026
110.6
Base 2024-01 = 100
- vs Feb 2026
- +0.9%
- vs 3 months earlier
- +1.4%
- vs 12 months earlier
- −3.3%
- Since base (2024-01)
- +10.6%
2024-01 → 2026-03
The line stops at March 2026. Later months are on the live index.
What moved it
Attribution in index points across the 12 published months from Mar 2025 to Mar 2026. Contributions sum to the total move, so weight matters more than percentage.
| Commodity | Basket weight | Price in Mar 2026 | Change since Mar 2025 | Index points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eggs · grade A, dozen | 7% | $2.35 /dozen | −62.3% | -10.77 |
| Ground beef · 100%, lb | 20% | $6.70 /lb | +15.7% | +3.62 |
| Coffee · ground roast, lb | 6% | $9.61 /lb | +30.1% | +2.18 |
| Tomatoes · field grown, lb | 9% | $2.26 /lb | +24.0% | +1.83 |
| Butter · grade AA, lb | 7% | $4.26 /lb | −11.6% | -0.84 |
| Cheddar · natural, lb | 12% | $5.97 /lb | +4.1% | +0.49 |
| Flour · all-purpose, lb | 8% | $0.55 /lb | −2.8% | -0.23 |
| Bacon · sliced, lb | 7% | $6.80 /lb | −2.5% | -0.19 |
| Chicken breast · boneless, lb | 16% | $4.17 /lb | +0.3% | +0.05 |
| Milk · whole, gallon | 8% | $4.07 /gal | +0.4% | +0.03 |
US city averages, not wholesale quotes — see the series identifiers and weights.
What March 2026 cost a plate
Representative portions costed at March 2026's prices, and what they were twelve months earlier. Ingredient cost only — the rest of the plate and the labour behind it are yours.
| Dish | Costed on | March 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| House burger | 6 oz patty · ground beef | $2.51 | +$0.34 |
| Grilled chicken sandwich | 6 oz · chicken breast | $1.56 | +$0.00 |
| Cheeseburger (1 slice) | 1 oz · cheddar cheese | $0.37 | +$0.01 |
| Two-egg breakfast | 2 eggs · eggs | $0.39 | −$0.65 |
Citing March 2026
Marji Restaurant Food Cost Index, March 2026: 110.6 (2024-01 = 100). https://marji.co/food-cost-index/2026-03
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