How can we explain that the sector is doing so badly while Belgians are spending more? An explanation can be found in the customer profile as well as in the distribution of Belgian spending.
“On the road”
To understand these figures, you need to know what you are calculating. In the amount of 2,828 euros spent on catering and hotels, the term restaurant has a much broader meaning than one might think. Indeed, this includes traditional and upscale restaurants, but also chip shops, kebab shops and other small stores intended for takeaway or delivery.
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It is with this last nuance that this amount can be explained. The Netherlands has a term for this: ontkoking (or “de-kitchen,” literally). Concretely, this means that people are increasingly inclined to turn to quick meals, consumed on site or ordered for delivery (with Uber, Deliveroo, Takeaway and other platforms) rather than cooking a dish themselves.
In general, this trend would save time and free up some mental load from having to systematically think of a dish idea. Add to this that the dishes offered on these platforms are no longer systematically dishes considered fatty, healthier alternatives being offered thanks to an increasingly diverse offering.
A phenomenon that is found especially among the younger generation. Indeed, among generation Z and “millennials” (or “Millenials”, i.e. before the age of 35), 20% of them have contact with a restaurant every week, whether via a platform or by going to a restaurant. the little shop or kebab shop on the street corner. Among the older Belgian population, that of the “baby boomers”, only 6% go to a restaurant. A clear difference between generations.
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By understanding this nuance, we can deduce that the fact that Belgians spend more in Horeca does not necessarily mean that the sector is doing well. Between galloping inflation for several years and the rise of takeaway meals, the Horeca sector should reinvent itself.
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