Restaurants, consumption outside the home grows to EUR 92 billion

With 92 billion euros in consumption away from home (+7%), 2023 was a good year for the catering sector, which has finally returned above pre-Covid levels (+3.9%). Confirmation comes from the annual Fipe Confcommercio report. The consumption crisis does not therefore seem to have put eating out at the top of Italians' shopping list, although the contribution of the definitive recovery of international tourism has probably been decisive. Prices, said Fipe president Lino Enrico Stoppani, "grew by 5.8%, among the lowest values at the level of the 27 EU countries".

It is a trend that has led restaurateurs to push investments: according to Fipe, "about one out of every two entrepreneurs has invested in the renewal of the equipment park and the strengthening of digital tools". And for 2024 the businesses announce an investment plan that is close to 4 billion euros: "Sustainability and innovation, in fact, are the trends that characterise the sector. On the one hand,' say Fipe, 'about 9 out of 10 restaurants and bars have adopted concrete measures to control energy consumption and respect the environment. On the other, over 80% of businesses have introduced one or more digital tools within their premises'.

A negative figure comes from the birth rate of restaurant businesses: in December 2023 there were 331,888 restaurant businesses, pjust over 1% fewer than in 2022. Of these, 132,004 are bars, 195,471 restaurants, takeaways, ice-cream parlours and pastry shops, and 3,703 companies offering banqueting and catering services.
"Demonstrating the dynamism of the sector," reads the report, "more than ten thousand companies started business in 2023 (+6.5% on 2022). On this phenomenon, however, stretches the mortgage of too many failures that mark the initiative of so many aspiring entrepreneurs: the survival rate of new businesses exceeds, at five years, just 50%'.

According to the Fipe Study Centre,29% of businesses are run by women, with a higher incidence in the bar channel, which accounts for about a third of the total. Businesses led by young people under 35 are 13%, concentrated mainly in the restaurant segment (60%), while there are more than 50,000 businesses under the control of foreign entrepreneurs (around 14% of the total).
2023 can also be considered a positive year in terms of employment, with 1.4 million employees, up 6.4% compared to 2022 and 2.3% compared to 2019. Moreover, "the haemorrhage of permanent contracts, which grew by more than 11 thousand units compared to 2019, and which now constitute the prevalent form of employment relationships in the catering sector (58.5%), has been totally reabsorbed".

"2023 was a good year for the Italian restaurant industry and for 2024 entrepreneurs' expectations remain cautiously positive. Despite the challenges related to inflation and the uncertain geopolitical framework, consumption, employment and added value have grown significantly, returning, at least in value, above pre-pandemic levels,' Stoppani commented. 'Even the contraction in the number of businesses is not necessarily bad news if it translates into a strengthening of skills and an updating of formats, thanks to the progressive contribution of many female entrepreneurs and many young people who decide to set up on their own. The sector is undergoing transformation, as can also be seen in the drive to invest and innovate. Over 50% of entrepreneurs have made one or more investments in 2023 in a green and digital key, and an equally significant number plan to invest this year. These are signs of confidence that deserve to be further supported by policies that recognise the role that catering plays in the economy and society".