Total industry turnover in the café, restaurant and catering sector has exceeded $25 billion for the year ending April 2017, according to the latest retail trade data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The original data showed that the sector recorded year-on-year growth in turnover of two percent. When including the turnover generated from takeaway sales, total industry turnover was $43.2 billion, representing year-on-year growth of 4.7 percent.
Restaurant & Catering Australia (R&CA) CEO John Hart commended the sector’s strong performance so far in 2017 and was optimistic about the remaining months of the year.
“What we’ve seen so far in 2017 is that for every month we have data for, growth in turnover has been recorded across the sector.
“This is especially important given that we are now entering the winter months which tend to be a slower period of the year for hospitality businesses,” Hart said.
Hart also said that the growth in turnover recorded in the café, restaurant and catering sector was a reflection of changing consumer preferences.
“The increased turnover amongst cafés and restaurants is a strong indication of how Australian consumers are dining out in greater numbers than they ever have.
“As cafés and restaurants continue to enjoy unprecedented popularity, the end result is that an increasing proportion of meals are now being consumed outside of the home,” Hart said.
