For many, food is more than a source of nourishment. It’s a source of culture, connection and well-being. However, starting next year, Fairfax County is expected to experience an increase in prices across all restaurant meals, carry-out orders, food trucks and even prepared food for grocery stores.
On May 6th, the county’s Board of Supervisors approved the new FY 2026 Advertised Budget Plan to put a 4% increase in food and beverage taxes into place while lowering the rate of real estate tax by a quarter-cent. Ultimately, the new plan’s goal is to widen revenue streams for the county, rather than being fully dependent on property taxes from residents.
This new policy could have a large impact on Fairfax County residents, with its official start on Jan. 6, 2026. Customers will need to adapt to higher prices that they may not be able to handle. This change across Fairfax County is especially overwhelming for restaurant owners who will face price increases in almost every aspect of business.
“Cost increases for restaurants combined with economically exhausted consumers have put the squeeze on the Virginia hospitality sector,” said Jimmy Rafferty, Director of Marketing at the Glory Days Grill restaurant. “Making matters worse, a meals tax is really not what we need right now. A 4% meals tax would really be a burden to the restaurant industry.”
Local residents have also voiced opinions regarding the new law, especially since county residents have already expressed disapproval of food and beverage taxes during the two previous instances.
“There are definitely a lot of opinions surrounding [food] prices and I think people are even more sensitive to it because food is an everyday necessity,” sophomore Divya Isukapalli said. “It could’ve been helpful to consider the previous reactions of Fairfax County residents towards increasing meals taxes before passing the budget plan.”
The FY 2026 Budget Plan is also expected to increase transient occupancy taxes from 4% to 6%, another financial burden for locals. However, with a planned increase in overall taxes, the budget plan has been making clear progress in restoring funding in a handful of other community programs.
Most notably, middle school after-school programs, services for adults with developmental disabilities, emergency medical units in underserved areas, high school crossing guards and Fairfax County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) were all able to see benefits from the additional revenue for the county.
Still, whether or not this change will prevent net positive benefits is still unclear.
“The idea itself is understandable and it’s good that they are supporting different programs but a lot of residents of Fairfax could be overwhelmed,” Isukapalli said. “Increasing prices even more when everything is already expensive sounds daunting.”
