Date Published: 19/09/2022
ARCHIVED - Drinks in demand: spending in Spanish bars exceeds pre-Covid levels for first time
Customers in Spain spent 2% more in pubs and restaurants in July than they did in pre-pandemic 2019
Now that the worst of the seventh wave of the pandemic is behind us, people across Spain are being tempted by a tipple and venturing out to bars and restaurants once more. This is news to the ears of publicans and means that spending in the ‘food service sector,’ which also includes fast food joints and canteens, reached 3,770 million euros in July.
Unbelievably, this is actually 2% more than in pre-Covid 2019 and the first time that the hospitality industry has beaten these numbers since the health crisis began.
However, market research company The NDP Group was quick to point out that this doesn’t necessarily mean more people are visiting pubs and restaurants; rather, the increased spending can be largely attributed to rising prices, which translates into costlier bar tabs.
In fact, the research shows that, while the 675 million visits registered in July was 19% more than the previous year, it’s still 5% less than the same month in 2019.
Still, the figures are very positive and should continue to move in the right direction according to the NDP, who highlighted that eating out is very much a deeply rooted habit in Spain that was greatly affected by the pandemic.
The numbers prove this point: between January and July, consumers in Spain increased their spending on ‘food service’ by 37%, forking out 21,220 euros.
However, the experts warn that full recovery is still a little way off, since continuing inflation is likely to reduce the upward trend as Spain moves through autumn and into winter.
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