Data from hundreds of pubs around the country is showing some key trends, most notably around the migration of patrons to suburban and regional pubs.
One year on from the onset of the pandemic, some longer-term trends are taking shape in the industry.
- Revenue at CBD venues has shrunk 23 per cent (year on year), while it has grown 14 per cent in Suburban and Regional venues – but
- Since December, the growth in CBD venues has outpaced Suburban and Regional venues
- Since COVID, Saturday has overtaken Friday as the industry’s busiest day of trade. There has also been an increase in Sunday trade
- Across the board, pubs average around 80 per cent of their pre-COVID patron levels
Recovery from the pandemic has come in different forms and at varied paces across jurisdictions, and it remains to be seen if the shift toward venues outside the cities will be a permanent change in consumer behaviour, or if the CBD venues will come to thrive again.
The above results follow positive activity observed in Victoria following its five-day snap lockdown in February, when punters rebounded back into venues for a 20 per cent lift in trade (versus pre-lockdown) and buoyant 24 per cent increase in tips for servers.
The data comes from hotel table ordering and payment system me&u, which partners with venues to improve the patron dining experience through its facility, allowing people to easily peruse a digital menu, order and pay by phone or credit card with no physical contact with the staff or venue.
Research on the shift toward digital solutions found 95 per cent of customers want to pay by credit card or their mobile phone and two-thirds prefer digital menus.
me&u is designed for pubs and used at over 500, including those of Merivale, Rockpool and Solotel.
