This year Valentine’s Day, which falls on a Friday for just the second time in over a decade, is anticipated to be one of the biggest in recent memory. Without the spectre of work on the ‘morning after the night before’ Aussies are expected to flock to their favourite venues, with their favourite people, en masse.

 

“With Valentine’s Day falling on a Friday this year, love will certainly be in the air and demand will be higher than usual, extending into a full weekend of celebrations. For venues to capitalise, though, they must provide the experiences that guests love, recommend and return for – whether they’re dining as a couple, or as a bigger ‘Palentine’s Day’ group. The restaurants that lean into experience-driven hospitality will be the ones guests choose, not just this year, but for years to come.” says Paul Hadida, Managing Director, APAC GTM at SevenRooms.

However, according to hundreds of thousands of reservations at thousands of venues using SevenRooms in 2023, 2024 and 2025, it’s not just the volume of reservations that are of note, but who we’re booking with and when we’re dining out.

• While the majority of all reservations for Valentine’s Day are for the traditional two-top in 2025, their proportion of total bookings has steadily fallen in recent years, with Aussies opting to dine out more in groups.
• The proportion of bookings for groups of nine or more has doubled since 2023.
• The proportion of bookings for groups of three and four has increased by 14.3% YoY.
  
  
• While Melbourne is often-considered the nighttime capital of Australia, it’s actually Sydneysiders who are dining out later in 2025.
• So far, 29.9% of all reservations in Melbourne have been for 8pm or later, compared to 31.9% in Sydney.
• Meanwhile 5.5% of reservations in the Victorian capital have been for 9pm or later, compared to 7.1% for the harbour city.

“Amongst the interesting data we’re seeing in terms of party size, we're also seeing a clear trend: the busiest venues this year aren't just booking tables; they're selling experiences. Venues offering premium upgrades and add-ons – such as curated tasting menus, floral arrangements, chocolate boxes, bottles of champagne, and other personalized elements – are not only attracting more reservations but also increasing revenue per guest" says Paul.

 

From flowers, to champagne and chocolates, there’s a growing trend of venues offering upgrades at the point of reservation, both to improve the guest experience on the most romantic night of the year and boost their bottom line. SevenRooms data shows that venues that offer upgrades at the point of reservation generate >35% more than reservations without a pre-booking equating to, on average, more than $34K in revenue.