Queensland fine dining reports shift to long lunches as industry performance wanes
FINE dining isn’t dead, but Queensland’s restaurant industry is far from healthy, according to new industry data showing the state has the second worst performing market in the country.
The Australian Dining Index, compiled by restaurant reservation platform Dimmi, shows the national average spend is down 2.4 per cent, with Queenslanders dipping down by a whooping 6.8 per cent. It’s only trumped by the ACT, down 9.6 per cent. South Australia, by comparison, is up by 7.6 per cent.
The premium restaurant market, with an average customer spend of $85 or more, is the best performing sector, up by 17 per cent, compared to a measly one per cent climb in low market, which accounts for average spends of $55 or lower.
Dimmi founder Stevan Premutico said that the long lunch was firmly back on the table, with a 41 per cent rise in corporate bookings, which helped push up the high end market.
“The whole market is slightly down, but what we are seeing is that people are eating out less but spending more,” Mr Premutico said.
“We’ve been hearing about the death of fine dining, but it’s thriving — just not as we know it — it’s an evolving beast, as restaurants become more accessible and share plates have become so in vogue.”
Mr Premutico said that Queensland’s market has been one of the hardest hit, with a slew of high profile inner city restaurants Locanda, Fifth Element, Reserve and Era bistro closing their doors this year.
“Queensland has had one of the worst hits in recent times, it certainly feels like tough year, with some high profile closures, but the ones that have toughed it out are doing better” he said.
Andy Georges, owner of Eagle St stalwart Il Centro, said he’s noticed a change in consumer behaviour, as customers become less cautious about spending.
“Everyone tightened up because of the global financial crisis, but it’s opened up a bit more and our average spend has gone up,” he said.
“The corporate market is definitely up, compared to last year, and we’ve seen a lot of new business. We still average a spend of around $80 per head.”
Restaurateur Andrew Bartolo, who owns Libertine, Popolo, the Gresham and Heya Bar, said that the Dimmi data may be skewed, as bookings don’t generally apply to casual eateries.
“People are eating out more than they used; you might go out three or four nights a week to dine, and spend what you would have spent on two nights out. There’s more of an offering in non-fixed locations now, like food trucks and stalls and things like that.”
He said the average spend at his up-market Vietnamese-French eatery Libertine has stayed at around $55 per person, but creeps up to $65 at the weekend.
“Fine dining has had its period of struggle, and those figures may reflect that those institutions are rallying and working out a strategy to bring people back,” he said.
Originally published as How we’re biting the hand that feeds us
Source: The Courier-Mail, Sharnee Rawson, 31st August 2015
Originally published as: Queensland fine dining reports shift to long lunches as industry performance wanes
