More people are dining out now than before the pandemic

Dining out is back to pre-pandemic levels and then some, according to new data from OpenTable.

Why it matters: While the fight rages on over going back to the office, other areas of our lives have returned to something like normal.

What’s happening: The number of people dining in restaurants in the U.S., who reserved on OpenTable in August and September, was higher than in the same months in 2019.

• Air travel over Labor Day weekend also exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
• Offices, however, have a long way to go. Average occupancy rates are just 44% on average, per office security company Kastle’s back-to-work barometer.