Eating at home will endure after the pandemic, with 42% of respondents to a Deloitte survey saying they plan to cook more at home once things are back to normal.

The Deloitte report, “Surprise Ingredients in the Post-Pandemic Food Story,” says that only 7% plan to cook less. In addition, one in three say they will eat out less, although that will be somewhat mitigated by the 40% who plan to order takeout and delivery more.

The report notes that if the foodservice share of American food dollars does decline, it will reverse a trend that started in the 1960s. It gives three possible reasons:

• Consumers, and their employers, plan to work more from home during the pandemic when possible, which will cut down on restaurant occasions, especially lunch;
• Many consumers will be in worse financial shape after the pandemic is over and will want to continue saving money by cooking at home;
• Many consumers may simply find they prefer cooking at home, because they’ve increased their cooking skills, and in some cases because they still will be reluctant to spend time in crowded spaces