The city’s dining out habits have increased compared to this time last year, despite challenging economic times, a new study says.
Dining out in Toronto has increased nine per cent in March compared to the same time last year and that trend is continuing into April, according to new data from OpenTable, a global leader in restaurant technology.
The increasing trend continues across Canada as restaurant dining was up three per cent year-over-year in March and up four per cent in April.
The city’s change in dining reveal a shift in consumer behaviour, according to the report.
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Happy-hour dinner, typically after 5 p.m., in Mar. saw a year-over-year spike in popularity on Mondays (up 65%), while there was a 53 per cent increase on Tuesdays and 45 per cent increase on Wednesdays.
For the end of the work week, both Thursdays and Fridays did not increase much as both days saw a seven per cent increase compared to March 2021.
The reports suggest in-office days and flexible working hours could play a large role in the increased dining trend throughout the week.
Also, throughout Mondays in Mar., dining at 12 p.m. experienced a popularity boost with a 44 per cent increase, compared to this time last year.
“Canadians are enthusiastic about dining out and keen to support local restaurants despite uncertain economic conditions, with data showing a 3% increase in dining in March and a 4% increase in April to-date, versus the same time in 2022,” Matt Davis, country director of OpenTable Canada, said in a news statement.
“We’re also seeing a shift in consumers’ weekday dining habits, which could be attributed to the rise of hybrid work and widespread return to the office, with data showing Canadians are taking advantage of their lunch breaks and happy hour,” he continued.
The report’s data was derived from online, phone and walk-in reservations including over 50 restaurants on the site’s network and comparing daily and weekly data from 2022 to 2023.
