Food in America: how groceries, restaurants and food rules work, and what Europeans miss in their first year

Six months after the move, food is one of the first things Europeans mention when they talk about what surprised them in the United States. Some of it is the obvious: portion sizes, sweet bread, a supermarket aisle with forty kinds of breakfast cereal. Some of it is subtler, from refrigerated eggs to a tip that is part of the waiter's wage. And much of it is a pleasant surprise. American food is regional, immigrant, inventive and very good when you know where to look. From Austin we would add that nobody who has eaten Central Texas barbecue goes home unchanged.

What Americans spend, and where

The US Department of Agriculture's Economic Research Service tracks food spending every year. In 2025, American consumers spent 9.7 percent of their disposable personal income on food: 4.8 percent on food at home and 4.9 percent on food away from home. Out of $2.51 trillion in total food spending, about $1.41 trillion went to restaurants, cafeterias, takeaway and other food away from home, more than was spent in grocery stores.

That last point explains a lot about daily life. Eating out, picking up food and having it delivered are a normal part of the week for many households. Prices move too. In the twelve months to September 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics measured a 2.5 percent rise in food prices overall, 1.8 percent for food at home and 3.5 percent for food away from home, against 3.7 percent for all items. In 2025, egg prices rose 21.9 percent because of avian influenza, and beef and veal 11.6 percent.

For a European household, the share of the budget that goes to food is usually lower than at home, while housing, health insurance and childcare take more. Our comparison of living costs in Europe and the US puts the numbers side by side.

How grocery shopping works

Most Americans drive to a large supermarket once or twice a week rather than walking to small shops every day. Expect very large stores, long opening hours (many open early and close late, some never close), wide aisles and a car park in front. Alongside the supermarkets you will find warehouse clubs that sell in bulk to members, discount grocers, organic and specialty chains, Asian, Latin American and European import stores, and farmers markets that run on weekends in most cities and many small towns.

Three things to learn in the first week:

• Units. Weights are in pounds and ounces, volumes in fluid ounces, quarts and gallons, oven temperatures in Fahrenheit. A gallon of milk is about 3.8 litres. Recipes measure in cups and spoons.
• Labels. The Nutrition Facts panel shows values per serving, and the FDA requires serving sizes to reflect what people actually eat. Calories are printed in bold, added sugars appear on their own line, and the percent Daily Value is based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
• Tax at the till. Shelf prices exclude sales tax. In Texas, food products for human consumption are exempt from sales tax, but soft drinks, candy and prepared food such as sandwiches and hot meals are not; other states have their own rules.

Food rules that differ from Europe

Some of the differences Europeans notice are matters of law, not taste:

American food safety is regulated by several agencies, and the system works well. The differences are simply a reason to read labels, and they explain why your favourite cheese from home might be on the shelf only in its aged version.

Eating out and the tip

The rule Europeans most need to learn is the tip. In a restaurant with table service, the tip is part of how the server is paid. Under federal law an employer may pay a tipped employee a cash wage of as little as $2.13 an hour and count up to $5.12 of tips per hour towards the federal minimum wage of $7.25. Texas follows the federal figures. Some states require more: Florida's cash wage for tipped workers is higher, and states such as California, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Minnesota and Alaska allow no tip credit at all. Whatever the state, leaving no tip at a sit-down restaurant is read as a complaint about the service.

Other habits that differ:

• Calories on the menu. Restaurants that are part of a chain with 20 or more locations must post calories for standard menu items, along with a statement that 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
• The bill comes without asking. Servers often bring the check as soon as you finish eating, and you are still welcome to stay and talk.
• Water, ice and refills. Tap water usually arrives automatically and with ice. Soft drinks and filter coffee are often refilled free.
• Boxes for leftovers. Taking the rest of your meal home is normal and nobody will think twice.
• Tax on top. Menu prices usually exclude sales tax, and the tip is calculated on the bill.

A country of regional kitchens

The idea of a single American cuisine does not survive the first road trip. The country eats regionally, and many of its best dishes came with immigrants and were made American over generations.

• Texas: slow-smoked brisket and sausage in the Hill Country, Tex-Mex enchiladas and fajitas, breakfast tacos every morning in Austin and San Antonio. Czech and German settlers left kolaches and sausage traditions that are still alive. Our portrait of the Lone Star State tells more.
• Louisiana: Cajun and Creole cooking, gumbo, jambalaya and crawfish boils, shaped by French, Spanish, African and Caribbean influences.
• The South: fried chicken, biscuits, grits, collard greens and regional barbecue styles in the Carolinas, Memphis and Kansas City.
• New England and the coasts: lobster rolls, clam chowder, oysters, crab in the Chesapeake Bay, salmon in the Pacific Northwest.
• California and the Southwest: produce-driven cooking, Mexican and Asian traditions, New Mexico's green chile.
• The big cities: New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston and Miami have some of the most varied immigrant food scenes in the world.

The calendar matters too. Thanksgiving, a federal holiday on the fourth Thursday in November, is the biggest family meal of the year. Independence Day on July 4 means barbecues, and in Texas every football weekend is a reason to cook outdoors.

What Europeans miss, and where to find it

Every family has its list. These are the items we hear most often, with the usual answers:

1. Bread. Supermarket bread is soft and often sweet. The answer is the independent bakery: most cities now have sourdough and European-style bakeries, and many are run by Europeans.
2. Cheese. Specialty shops and good supermarkets carry a wide European range, within the raw milk limits. American artisanal cheesemakers have grown impressively.
3. Small daily shopping. Outside dense city centres it barely exists. Farmers markets and neighbourhood stores are the nearest equivalent.
4. Specific brands. Import stores and online shops sell most European staples, at a price.
5. Less sugar. Read the added sugars line on the label; plain and unsweetened versions exist for almost everything.

If you want to bring food from home, declare it. US Customs and Border Protection requires travellers to declare meats, fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, soil and animal products, including soup. Many fresh, dried and some canned meats from abroad are prohibited because of animal diseases, and failing to declare prohibited items can bring a civil penalty of up to $1,000 for a first non-commercial offence, on top of confiscation. Our page on customs when moving to the US covers household goods as well.

Your first month: a short food plan

• Find one supermarket you like, one bakery and one farmers market near home before you try the rest.
• Learn the units: buy a set of measuring cups and keep a Fahrenheit conversion on the fridge.
• Get a membership card at your main store; American supermarkets give their best prices to loyalty members.
• Ask colleagues and neighbours for their favourite local places. Americans love recommending restaurants, and it is the fastest way into conversation.
• Tip properly from the first meal.
• Try the regional classic wherever you live, at a place locals choose.

Food is one of the easiest ways to feel at home in a new country. Our page on everyday life in the US as a European covers the rest of the first year, and our light-hearted look at American habits that puzzle Europeans will make you smile at the cereal aisle.