– We have very busy weekends. I think people need to be social in times of recession, says Jostein Strøm. He is the restaurant manager at Madam Reiersen in Arendal. Here, they have noticed that people prioritize eating out even though everything has become more expensive. Strøm has a full restaurant until Christmas, but wonders how it will be after the New Year. – I am a bit excited about whether we will notice the downturns better in January, he says. Madam Reiersen in Arendal is one of many restaurants that has put a good year behind it. Photo: Espen Bierud / news – Best year ever Figures from Bank Axept and Vipps up to and including October this year show an increase of 9 percent for the restaurant industry compared to 2019. In Trondheim, Roar Hildonen runs the places To rom og Kjøkken and EC Dahls Pub & Kjøkken . He has noticed the increase well. – With us, 2022 will be the best year ever. The turnover compared to 2019 is probably up at least 10 per cent, says Hildonen. He tells of two tough months in January and February with strict restrictions. – In March we had a “ketchup effect” and it has been full speed since then. Roar Hildonen has been in the catering business in Trondheim for 40 years. He says that 2022 has been the best year ever in his places. Photo: Klara Skovro Thoresen / news Cuts down on merchandise Last week, card use at Norwegian restaurants was 19 per cent above the 2019 level, adjusted for inflation. This is shown by recent figures from DNB. – This trend is increasing week by week and does not indicate that private individuals are tightening up on restaurant visits in the run-up to Christmas, says director of data transformation at DNB Ine Oftedahl. Do you eat out more often now than before? During the pandemic, people spent a lot of money on sports equipment, electronics, houses, homes and hobbies. Now we spend less money on what flourished during the pandemic in favor of restaurant visits and nightlife, according to Oftedahl. She finds it surprising that restaurant visits are 19 per cent above normal at the same time that we are in economically demanding times. – We had expected that people had started to adjust down on everything you don’t absolutely have to spend money on, including restaurants. Ine Oftedahl at DNB says it is obvious that people want to be social with friends and family and rather cut back on shopping. Photo: Stig B. Fiksdal People took the city back Jon Anders Henriksen is director of business policy at Oslo Handelsstand Forening. He says the catering industry is well satisfied with the year. – People took the town back into use and the guests returned. It has greatly benefited the catering industry and everyone is happy about it, he says. Henriksen says that most of the tables before the Christmas dinner season are already reserved. He is more excited about the first quarter of next year. – I think it will be extremely tough because guests and tourists will be worried about increased interest rates and prices. Børge Beisvåg in the Business Association in the Trondheim region is also excited about what 2023 will be like. – Both in relation to the private market and how the economic outlook will be. It has also been a challenge to get employees back into the industry, he says.
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We spend more money on restaurants now than before the pandemic – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
