A quarter of consumers said they visited on-premise establishments less than usual in the two weeks that ended January 10, an +11% increase compared to December 2021, according to the market research firm CGA in its latest on-premise impact report.
Of that 25%, three in five respondents said they cut back on going out due to COVID-19 concerns, including case spikes from the omicron variant – a +5% increase versus December 2021. While more than a third of those who visited less said they did so to reduce risk before visiting family and/or friends over the holidays, two in five of total respondents said they are postponing on-premise visits until COVID-19 cases start to fall.
One in five respondents said they visited more than usual in the previous two weeks – a -14% decline compared to December 2021. More than half (55%) said they visited the same amount as usual (+3% vs. December).
The omicron variant also affected on-premise visits over the holidays. Of the 39% of respondents surveyed December 8-13 who said they plan to visit bars/restaurants for the holidays, 93% actually did. Of the 7% that decided not to visit, 35% said it was due to COVID-19 concerns, while 33% said their friends/family didn’t feel comfortable going out, and 28% said they wanted to reduce the risk of catching COVID-19 so they could visit friends/family.
However, frequency of on-premise visits have remained relatively flat in the past six months. During the weekend of August 25-31, 2021, 75% of respondents who visited the on-premise said they visited three or more times in the previous three months, while 18% visited twice, and 7% visited once. The latest report for the weekend of January 7-10 is nearly identical, with 75% visiting three or more times in the past three months, 19% visiting twice and 6% visiting once.
Consumers seem to have a positive outlook on future visits. Nearly half of respondents (47%) predicted they will visit bars and restaurants much more or slightly more often in 2022 than they did in 2021, while 43% said they will visit at least as often as this past year. One in ten said they will visit slightly less or much less often in 2022.
When asked when they are planning to next visit bars and/or restaurants, one third (33%) said they will visit within one week, followed by 20% within two weeks, and 13% within one month. About 18% said they will visit in the next two days.
Factors that would make consumers feel more comfortable visiting the on-premise “even if omicron cases continue to rise” include social distancing (48% of total respondents), mask mandates (39%), capacity limitations (38%), proof of vaccine (35%), screens between tables/booths (24%) and negative COVID test requirements (18%). About 16% said they are “not worried about COVID-19, so don’t need any changes” to visit on-premise establishments.
The safety measure desires align (+/-1%) with percentages during the delta variant spikes in the fall.
When asked how confident they feel visiting specific venues, more than half of respondents said they feel very confident or confident visiting small/intimate venues (59%) or venues with indoor seating only (54%) in the next few weeks. Less than half said they are comfortable visiting venues with a large capacity such as concert and sporting venues (42%) and experiential venues such as arcades or gaming bars (41%).
For those who have visited bars and restaurants in the past three months, 42% of respondents said they ordered beer, second after soft drinks (44%). In other beer-related offerings, 12% ordered hard seltzer, 11% ordered non/low-alcoholic drinks, and 9% ordered ready-to-drink alcohol beverages (RTDs).
Nearly two in five respondents (39%) said they planned on taking part in Dry January this year. Of those, 64% have abstained from alcohol as they intended. More than one in five (21%) said they have so far, but plan to drink before January ends, while 15% said they have not abstained as planned.