Moscow restaurants face biggest drop in attendance in five years

“The attendance of restaurants in Moscow this summer turned out to be worse than last year. In August, the traffic of establishments was 11% lower than a year earlier. In June and July, the indicator grew by 43% and 37%, respectively, but in 2021, only summer verandas were open during these months and there was a ban on visiting restaurants without QR codes due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ”Kommersant reports . citing a Focus Technologies report.

Experts cited the increase in food prices and the active savings of citizens, the reduction in the flow of tourists to the capital, and the departure of foreign businesses as the reasons for the decline. According to the manager of one of the largest gastronomic markets in Moscow, whose words the publication reports, there has not been such a disastrous August for more than five years.

“In the Meat & Fish restaurants in Vegas Kuntsevo and Mega Teply Stan, the drawdown in attendance has become serious,” Sergey Mironov , founder of the chain, told the agency .

He noted the closure of international brand stores, while mall managers "have not yet done anything to restore traffic." Industry representatives do not expect the situation to improve and consumer demand to recover this year.