On 14 October 2026 the National Statistical Institute (NSI) published its press release on inflation and consumer price indices for September 2026. The data comes from the institute’s official website.

What the NSI shows

The “Restaurant and hotel services” group has a consumer price index of 109.5 compared with September 2025. In other words, prices in it are on average 9.5% higher than a year ago. Compared with December 2025, the increase is 8.4%.

Compared with August 2026, the index is 98.9, which means the group is 1.1% lower. The overall CPI for the same month falls by 0.2%. Annual inflation by the CPI is 5.7%, and by the harmonised index, the HICP, it is 5.6%.

How to read the figure

The group combines restaurants and hotels. It is not the price of a single dish and not the price at your restaurant. It is a national average, and individual venues can be well above or below it.

The monthly fall does not cancel out the annual movement: the comparison with August and the comparison with September 2025 answer different questions. The cited data does not explain the reason for the monthly fall, so we do not guess at it.

For context: Eurostat’s flash estimate of 2 October 2026 shows annual inflation of 3.8% in the euro area for September, and 3.2% for services. This is a flash estimate: Eurostat’s final data for September is published later and may differ.

What this means for menu pricing policy

Official statistics are a reference point, not grounds for raising prices automatically. A few practical questions:

  • When did you last review your menu prices? If it was more than a year ago, and product and labour costs have changed, a review makes sense.
  • Which items are ordered most often, and how much is left after their costs? Start with those, not with everything at once.
  • What do your guests and nearby competitors say? A national average is no substitute for that.
  • If you decide to change prices, change them everywhere on the same day and prepare a short answer for the team.

There is a separate article on the timing itself and on how to tell guests: “When to raise your prices and how to tell your guests”.

Menu prices

If your menu is digital, you change a price on the dish, in the portal or from your phone. Changes stay in draft until they are published, and the link to the menu stays the same, so the new prices all appear at once, when you decide. Do not forget the paper copies, if you use any. The ISKA Menu plans and their prices are on the pricing page.