The menu is not necessary – Newspaper Kommersant No. 153 (7354) of 08/23/2022

The spring surge in attendance at restaurants in Moscow at the end of summer gave way to a decline, which turned out to be the most serious in five years. By August, the traffic of metropolitan establishments was lower than last year by 11%. The reason is that food is becoming more expensive, and citizens, on the contrary, are saving more and more actively. In addition, restaurants lost some of their visitors due to the flight of foreign businesses from the Russian Federation, and some were not counted due to the lack of tourists. This year, restaurateurs do not expect a recovery in the flow of guests.

Attendance at restaurants in Moscow this summer was worse than last year. According to Focus Technologies, in August the traffic of establishments was 11% lower than a year earlier. In June and July, the indicator grew by 43% and 37%, respectively, but in 2021, only summer terraces were open during these months and there was a ban on visiting restaurants without QR codes due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In May, Focus Technologies noted a surge in restaurant attendance, but then the trend reversed. The manager of one of the largest gastronomic markets in Moscow told Kommersant that “there has not been such a disastrous August in terms of the number of guests for more than five years.”

In addition to the seasonal factor, attendance at establishments was also influenced by the savings model of behavior, when people, if possible, refuse goods and services that do not belong to the “essential necessities” category, says Mikhail Vasiliev, head of research and consulting at Focus Technologies. In addition, prices in restaurants rose against the backdrop of general inflation, reminds co-owner of the Rakovaya gastrobar chain Yevgeny Nichipuruk. According to Focus Technologies, in August the average check in cafes and restaurants in Moscow increased by 9% yoy.

Establishments located in shopping centers in Moscow suffered the most. So, in the Meat & Fish restaurants in Vegas Kuntsevo and Mega Teply Stan, the drawdown in attendance has become serious, says Sergey Mironov, founder of the chain. According to him, the closure of a number of stores of international brands has affected, and the managers of shopping centers “have not done anything yet to restore traffic.”

In the Gagawa network, attendance in the first two months of summer decreased by 4-7%, notes Lenar Kutlin, general director of the network. According to him, the figure could have fallen even more, but due to the temporary closure of foreign catering operators, some local establishments managed to increase the flow of guests. In August 2022, the Mall Index (reflecting the change in the number of visitors per 1,000 retail space) in the capital’s shopping centers was 11% lower than a year earlier.

Establishments located in street retail facilities also turned out to be dependent on foreign businesses. So, in the summer months, the traffic of the Rakovaya network turned out to be 15–20% lower than expected, in particular, due to the departure of some international companies from the business centers of the capital, says Evgeny Nichipuruk. In addition, he adds, some of the visitors have moved to other countries. Against this background, in restaurants and cafes in Moscow’s business zones in March-June, the number of orders decreased by 11% year-on-year.

Moremania chain manager Artem Lomize says that amid the lifting of restrictions due to COVID-19, participants in the Moscow restaurant market expected to receive an additional influx of guests this summer at the expense of tourists. But this did not happen, moreover, this year more Muscovites went on vacation, which also affected restaurant attendance, he adds. According to the FSB border service of Russia, in the first half of 2022, Russians made 8.5 million trips abroad, which is 20% more than a year earlier. The number of trips to Turkey – the most popular holiday destination – in January-July increased by 41.36%, to 2.2 million year-on-year, the Association of Tour Operators of Russia reported.

Lenar Kutlin believes that it is hardly worth expecting an increase in restaurant traffic this year, as it is associated with a recovery in consumer demand, “which is too early to talk about now.” And RestCon CEO Elena Perepelitsa expects that the position of restaurateurs will continue to deteriorate.

Daria Andrianova, Alexandra Mertsalova