A festive table was ordered at home – Newspaper Kommersant No. 4 (7449) dated 01/12/2023

Participants of the public catering market failed to significantly increase revenue during the New Year holidays. During the long weekend, traffic in restaurants and cafes across Russia decreased by 10% year-on-year. The flow of visitors in the fast food segment, which has always felt better than other formats during a crisis, has decreased by about the same amount. In addition to general economic factors associated with a reduction in the income of the population, this time traffic was negatively affected by abnormal cold and the absence of major festive events.

From December 31 to January 8, the number of visitors to cafes and restaurants throughout Russia turned out to be 10% lower year-on-year, but at the same time, the average check for these days increased by 6%, follows from Tinkoff Data provided by Kommersant. The decrease in traffic during the holidays is confirmed by the market participants themselves. The founder of the Rakovaya gastrobar chain, Yevgeny Nichipuruk, talks about a 20% year-on-year drop in traffic in his establishments.

At the Shokoladnitsa Group, the flow of visitors in Moscow and the Moscow region during the holidays decreased by 3% yoy, but due to an increase in the average ticket by 16%, the chain’s revenue increased by 13%. Moremania managing partner Artem Lomize says that the network’s revenue decreased by 5%, and taking into account the increase in costs in 2022, profitability fell by 7-10%.

During the New Year holidays, the fast food segment also lost traffic, which traditionally does not have any special problems with this even in a crisis.

According to Tinkoff Data, from December 31 to January 8, there were 9% fewer visitors in fast food establishments year-on-year, the average check decreased by 5%. For comparison: in January-November 2022, fast food, according to Focus Technologies, became the only format that showed an increase in attendance – by 3% year-on-year (see “Kommersant” of December 26).

Mikhail Goncharov, co-owner of the Teremok network, confirms the decrease in visitors during the holidays, but does not name absolute numbers. The network “Vkusno — i dotka” did not provide data on traffic, but emphasized that its change is influenced by the general economic situation, inflation and consumer behavior. Gagawa CEO Lenar Kutlin speaks of a 6.7% year-on-year drop in network traffic over the New Year holidays.

However, a Kommersant source from among the large KFC franchisees speaks of an increase in the number of checks by 5% year on year.

The interlocutor of Kommersant in another large network adds that the traffic of fast food establishments has grown to a large extent outside of Moscow. Lenar Kutlin notes that during the holidays, the flow of visitors to his network grew by 10% year-on-year in Nizhny Novgorod and Kazan, which became the main destinations for New Year’s tourism this year.

In addition to the traditional explanations for the reduction in traffic associated with a drop in incomes of Russians and the departure of some solvent buyers abroad after the announcement of mobilization, market participants also talk about other reasons.

According to Yevgeny Nichipuruk, the decrease in traffic in fast food may be due to leaving McDonald’s, as the largest player in the segment, and the loss of part of the assortment in the chains remaining in the country.

In addition, the absence of large festive events in Moscow during the holidays did not contribute to an increase in consumer activity in the restaurant market as a whole, Artem Lomize believes. The abnormal cold at the end of the holidays could have been a negative factor for traffic, says Henrik Winter, co-owner of the Tigrus restaurant holding (Osteria Mario, Shvili and Bar BQ Cafe).

This conclusion is confirmed by the fact that in the first days of January, buyers began to order more dishes from catering establishments and ready-made food from stores. Just during this period, Yandex.Food and Delivery Club noticed an increase in demand for delivery.

Evgeny Nichipuruk does not expect any special changes in the restaurant market in the coming year, since most of the solvent population who left the country may not return yet. But Henrik Winter believes that in February-March of this year the number of transactions in restaurants and cafes will increase, but at the expense of a low base in the same period last year.

Daria Andrianova