FEEDING HILLS, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - Ready-to-eat supermarket options are growing in popularity as surveys show fast food prices are going up.

Once considered an affordable eating option, a survey from Lending Tree shows nearly 80-percent of Americans say fast food is now a luxury. Since 2014, Wallet Hub says fast food restaurants have increased menu prices by 60 percent, nearly double the rate of inflation over the same period.

It’s a trend not lost on the supermarket industry.

A Stop and Shop in Feeding Hills is now one of many catering to the increasing number of customers looking for convenient cuisine.

“Our prepared food business is definitely skyrocketing, and a lot of people are coming in just for fast, easy to go meals,” said manager Rich Kozikowski.

According to the Food Industry Association, millennial and Gen. Z shoppers are driving the change, showing strong interest in customizable prepared foods.

A full 28-percent of shoppers now say they purchase deli-prepared foods from grocery stores as a replacement for dining at a restaurant. That’s more than double the 12-percent who said the same in 2017.

“If you go price per serving, you know, you get a chicken you can take it home. You can make your own sides or you can buy a side,” Kozikowski said. “I think price per serving, it’s definitely cheaper.”

This spring, Stop and Shop went all in announcing an expansion of their ready-to-go options with not just refrigerated choices like sushi, soup, and sandwiches but a hot bar specifically designed to make dinners easier and more affordable.

“It’s been a growing trend,” Kozikowski said. “I think it’s just going to keep going and we’ll take the business and we’ll satisfy folks.”

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