Welcome rise in restaurant & café dining

An increase in restaurant and café dining has been reported in ‘Dining Out Data’ released by Australia’s leading provider of industry research, analysis and forecasting services.

The recent report, compiled by BIS Shrapnel, tracks consumers’ eating out preferences, choice of food and non-alcoholic beverages, frequency of dining out and average spend within the different food service market segments.

Consistent with the ABS Retail Trade Data, the report shows a peak in consumption at the end of the year (with 66 percent of people going out for a meal).

Year on year 2012 (May) was 64 percent of people going to a restaurant, compared to 65 percent in 2013.

54 percent of diners in cafes to May 2012, compared to 55 percent in 2012.

In contrast accommodation hotels have seen a decline in diners (from 9 percent to 6 percent) and clubs and pubs are static at 30 percent and 37 percent respectively.

Interestingly, over the same period there was little change in the average spend.

The average total spend is highest in the Upmarket Restaurant at $57 and lowest spend is in the Fast Food Chain with an average spend of $13.

BIS Foodservice market size data confirms that market size increases over the past year are first and foremost due to rising food prices.

The reason for dining out remains the same with ‘For Fun and Relaxation’ the most popular excuse and Meeting Friends being the runner up dining motivation.

The average Australian eats out 2.5 times per month.

Source: Restaurant and Catering, 25 June 2013