Residents of central Russia are switching en masse to cheaper public catering and ready-made food from shops, according to the central bank's October report "Regional Economy". In the capital region, for example, the increase in the number of establishments in the traditional format slowed down. At the same time, companies continue to actively invest in the production of culinary products.
In the country as a whole, during the nine months of 2026, sales of prepared food increased by 27% in monetary terms and by 19% in physical terms compared to the corresponding period last year.
The main contributors to this trend were hot and cold drinks, as well as snacks. The expert named the "food by hand" format - packaged products weighing up to 150 grams - as one of the main sources of growth.
Sausage sales rose the fastest - by 163% in rubles and 143% in physical terms. For hamburgers, these figures were 80% and 83%, for onigiri - 60% and 71%, respectively.