More holidaymakers in Mallorca are skipping restaurants and eating from the supermarket instead, the Majorca Daily Bulletin reported on 15 October. The piece, by Humphrey Carter, puts it down to a budget squeeze: higher living costs at home, expensive flights and accommodation, and holiday rentals with kitchens that make self-catering easy.
What was reported
According to the Bulletin, traditional bars and restaurants have seen average spend per table fall by 10% to 12%. The article does not say where that figure comes from, so read it as a reported number, not an official statistic. It also says that in mid-August the sector claimed takings were down by as much as 50%, again without naming an organisation or spokesperson.
Local restaurant associations told the paper that feeding a family of four can cost upwards of €200, which pushes families towards cheaper options. Hospitality associations have a label for the cost-conscious visitor: the "sandwich and diesel" tourist. Restaurant representatives describe guests staying in four-star hotels at €300 a night who head to the supermarket's prepared-food section for a loaf of bread and some slices of pizza.
Supermarkets, the article says, are selling more pre-prepared food, snacks and local products.
Why prices went up and spend went down
Restaurant owners quoted in the piece say they had to raise menu prices to cover food inflation, higher rents and higher staff wages. At the same time, visitors are spending a large portion of their holiday money on flights and accommodation before they sit down anywhere. That leaves less for lunch on the terrace, and the guest who does sit down is watching the total more closely.
The island's restaurant association has been saying something similar since late summer. On 10 September the same paper reported that Restauración Mallorca CAEB could not remember a weaker first week of September, and that its president, Juan Miguel Ferrer, described the last two weeks of August as worse than in 2025. The association's point was that the problem is not visitor numbers but how much those visitors are able and willing to spend once they are here. Busy streets, quiet tills.