- Gastronomy has not been as good as it is now for a long time. New restaurants are being opened, young customers dominate
- It's a matter of the offer, but also the fact that consumers have returned to planning their lives to include restaurants, bars and cafes.
The situation is the best in many years – entrepreneurs associated with the Northern Chamber of Commerce in Szczecin have no doubts. Yes, some restaurants go out of business, but new places are being built in their place. Moreover, those that operate have no shortage of customers.
– Gastronomy is one of the most sensitive industries in the economy. We treat it as a premium sector, which means we allow ourselves to visit a restaurant only when we feel that our budget is stable enough to eat a more expensive dinner at a restaurant or go for a coffee at a cafe. The last few years have not been easy for the gastronomy industry, but 2024 will finally bring the stability so desired by many establishments, says Hanna Mojsiuk, president of the Northern Chamber of Commerce in Szczecin.
Gastronomy on a rollercoaster
– In 2020 and 2021, gastronomy was decimated by the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2022, the war in Ukraine began and a huge increase in the prices of energy raw materials, and then we had a price gallop due to a sudden increase in inflation. For the gastronomy industry, it was a rollercoaster that blocked many restaurants from operating normally. We are even more pleased with the revival we are currently observing, says Hanna Mojsiuk.
Jarosław Figiel, president of the HoReCa cluster operating at the Chamber and at the same time the owner of several restaurants, admits that 2024 brings a breather for the industry and a chance to close with good financial results.
– New restaurants are being built and the premises are filled with new generations of consumers. We have a lot of young people in our restaurants who treat dinner in a restaurant or coffee in a cafe as a ritual, an everyday occurrence. Customers are more attentive, demanding and at the same time willing to use good quality catering services. We are not talking about a gastronomy craze, but a chance for stable development, says Jarosław Figiel.
Good condition of gastronomy in Poland
Experts note that this year we are not broadly discussing "terror receipts", which have so far been a holiday terror for customers, but also the reason for the bad reputation of the seaside catering sector. The price correction in catering was minimal, which is not felt by customers given the falling inflation.
– When the economic crisis comes, we are most worried about the industries that Poles give up the fastest, i.e. tourism, gastronomy, premium goods, things we can live without. The gastronomy industry has had a hard time. We are even more pleased that we hear less about closing restaurants and more about new establishments and the fact that consumers are eager to visit them, says Katarzyna Rogoźnicka, a restructuring expert.
– Recently, we have had significantly fewer restructurings and bankruptcies in the catering industry. Customers in this sector are on the mend. However, it cannot be denied that this is still a difficult and demanding industry. Interestingly, I can add that one of my clients, who was preparing a restructuring plan for his company in 2021, has already visited two countries in Europe this year looking for inspiration for his restaurants – says Katarzyna Rogoźnicka.
