Recent data shows significant recovery in restaurant flow on weekends

TableCheck releases latest data analysis on the restaurant industry every Tuesday at Noon (Data from June 20, 2021)

Notable recovery in Restaurant Customer Traffic on weekends - eight weeks since the 3rd State of Emergency Declaration

The average weekly number of customers per restaurant increased 8% from the previous week to 20.1 customers during the last week of the self-restraint period in the 3rd state of emergency declaration. This shows a 30% recovery from the third week, which was the lowest in the same period.

The increase in the number of customers on weekends was especially remarkable. When compared to the third week, the number of customers on weekdays increased by 27.7%, and on weekends increased by 34.6%.

READ MORE: Data analysis of average customer visits in areas subjected to the State of Emergency and other policies per region | Impact of shortened business hours in the restaurant industry

When comparing the number of customers per restaurant by meal period from 2019 to 2021, our data shows that for the first time, the number of customers for lunch is significantly higher than that for dinner in 2021, and reverses the trend.

It is believed that the lunch market is expanding under the current situation, as it has become more difficult for people to eat out during dinner hours, due to the request for shorter business hours until 8:00 pm and the prolonged ban on alcohol.

Although the state of emergency has been lifted (with the exception of Okinawa), the restrictions on business hours and alcoholic beverages, means it remains less attractive for people to enjoy eating out for dinner. It is expected that the number of customers during the lunch hours will be the first to recover. 

Our data shows a strong recovery and a changing pattern in dining habits across Japan. It will be interesting to see if this continues and how the industry recovers over the next weeks and months.

READ MORE: Survey summary from the restaurant industry responding to the shortened business hour regulation as of 8 of January 2021 is shared below (published January 11, 2021)