Restaurants/Dining and Groceries/Perishables card spending in Ireland: Central Bank figures to August 2026

The Central Bank of Ireland's table shows €1,005.9 million of card payments in "Restaurants/Dining" in August 2026 and €1,858.3 million in "Groceries/Perishables". That is €54.1 of Restaurants/Dining for every €100 of Groceries/Perishables, by our arithmetic, and it is the highest ratio of any month from March 2023 on. These are card payments only, in euro as published, with no price adjustment. They are not total sales, not volume and not what households spend in total. The table gives no reason for the ratio, so this page gives none.

How does Restaurants/Dining card spending compare with Groceries/Perishables?

In August 2026 it was €54.1 for every €100, by our arithmetic: €1,005.9 million divided by €1,858.3 million. Both amounts are the Central Bank's figures for card payments, with the table's Channel Type "All" and Geographical Description "All".

In December 2025 the ratio was €44.7 and in January 2026 it was €43.5, both ours. The Central Bank's table gives no reason for the difference between months, so this page gives none.

Groceries/Perishables in August 2026 is 9.5% above August 2025, and Restaurants/Dining is 12.6% above. Both percentages are ours, from the Central Bank's monthly figures.

How does each August compare?

The ratio is €50.6 in August 2023, €51.3 in 2024, €52.6 in 2025 and €54.1 in 2026. All four are ours. The table below has the Central Bank figures behind them.

Card payments, each August, € million, with Restaurants/Dining per €100 of Groceries/Perishables. Central Bank figures rounded to one decimal place; the ratio is ours.

Month	Restaurants/Dining	Groceries/Perishables	Per €100
August 2023	748.6	1,478.8	€50.6
August 2024	824.8	1,606.4	€51.3
August 2025	893.0	1,697.8	€52.6
August 2026	1,005.9	1,858.3	€54.1

We compare only months from March 2023 on. The Central Bank's note says: "The increase in the volume of cards issued and related payment activity in March 2023 is due to inclusion of additional customer accounts that fall within the scope of the reporting requirements."

What about a full year?

For calendar year 2025 the ratio was €46.6 per €100, up from €46.3 in 2024, both ours. In 2024 Restaurants/Dining was €8,934.6 million against €19,314.4 million for Groceries/Perishables. In 2025 it was €9,602.2 million against €20,583.9 million. The twelve monthly figures are summed by us.

For January to August, the ratio was €47.5 in 2025 and €48.5 in 2026, both ours.

Which months had the highest and lowest ratio?

From March 2023 on, the highest was August 2026, at €54.1 per €100, and the lowest was November 2023, at €40.5. Both are ours. We looked at every month from March 2023 to August 2026 to find them.

What do these labels cover?

This page does not say. The Central Bank's table uses the labels "Restaurants/Dining" and "Groceries/Perishables", and we use them exactly as given. The Central Bank's note on Table 4 says: "The sub-categories pertaining to the Retail, Services, Social and Miscellaneous sectors represent a subset of the full granularity, and will not sum to the respective ‘Total’ category". If you need what each label includes, it is the Central Bank's to give, so check its Monthly Card Payment Statistics page and notes.

For Restaurants/Dining on its own, see our page on card spending in Restaurants/Dining. For a different measure, see our page on household spending on meals away from home.

Where do these numbers come from?

They come from the Central Bank of Ireland's Monthly Card Payment Statistics, Table 4, Card Expenditure by Sector and Sub-Sector. We took the sub-sectors Restaurants/Dining and Groceries/Perishables, channel All, geography All, in value (thousands of euro), month by month from October 2022 to August 2026. We read the file on 20 October 2026.

You can download the months as a CSV. If you cite it: Cupán Studio, from Central Bank of Ireland Monthly Card Payment Statistics, Table 4, read 20 October 2026.

Sources

• Central Bank of Ireland, Monthly Card Payment Statistics, Table 4, read 20 October 2026.

Figures from the Central Bank of Ireland's Monthly Card Payment Statistics, Table 4, read 20 October 2026; ratios, sums and changes are ours; card payments only. A summary of published statistics, not financial advice. Cupán Studio builds websites for cafés in Ireland.