With all the change the world has seen in the past 18 months, it’s no surprise that most industries have faced a shift of some description. Whether it’s through the implementation of more-remote working options, or introducing a limited capacity for venues, adjustments to the status quo have become necessary. The hospitality industry is no different.
Knowing more about the hospitality trends in a post-COVID Australia can help you to make informed decisions for your business, and serve customers better.
In a blog posted in August 2021, smart menu company me&u released data gathered over the previous 16 months relating to the hospitality industry in a post-COVID world. These discoveries include the following:
Friday is no longer the busiest day
In Post-COVID times, Saturdays have replaced the end of the 9-5 work week as the busiest trade day for hospitality venues. This can mean changing specials, menus and priorities to accommodate the switch.
Speaking with The Shout, Founder and CEO of me&u, Stevan Premutico said he believes this change is tied in with the new work from home culture.
“I think that there is a structural change in the way the world works, and so things like the boss saying at 4pm on Friday afternoon, ‘let’s go to the pub for a few drinks to celebrate Sally’s birthday’ – that’s gone,” he says.
“Everyone is at home doing their own thing and we don’t see that coming back any time soon. But naturally, customers still want to go out, they still want to celebrate, but they’re doing it less with their workmates. The significant shift that we’re seeing is that customers still want to go out, still want to have a few beers, but they are doing it with their friends on a Saturday, rather than with work mates on a Friday.”
Suburban pubs are the place to be
Following on from the above point, it appears people may be choosing to stay closer to home, with suburban pubs seeing a 14% increase in sales in post-COVID Australia. Stevan says this is likely an effect of more people working from home.
“The natural progression from that is if you are going to have a few drinks after work, but you’re working from home, you are now going with your wife to the local pub, rather than going from home in Castle Hill to the CBD,” he says.
“You’re more likely to come into the CBD on the weekend, because you want to get out and about.”
More spirits are being consumed
According to the report by me&u, spirit orders have increased by a whopping 400 percent in post-COVID times!
An increase in money spent
People seem to be spending more post lockdown. June 2020 saw the average amount spent at pubs increase by 28 percent.
Jobs regained
While more than a third of hospitality jobs were lost during the beginning of the pandemic, by the end of February 2021, over two thirds of those job losses had been recovered.
As doors continue to reopen in the post-COVID world, there is ample opportunity to get involved at your local bar or pub. Before applying as a bartender, you will need to obtain your Responsible Service of Alcohol (RSA) from a Registered Training Organisation (RTO) such as Express Online Training. We offer various online RSA courses which work across all devices to make it easy for you to get your certificate anytime and anywhere.
