The percentage of Australian Households food and non-alcoholic beverage budgets spent on eating out

The chart, from BIS Shrapnel, shows the percentage of Australian Households’ food and non-alcoholic beverage budgets spent on eating out. Since the beginning of the 1960s, the foodservice dollar has risen steadily to peak around 36% prior to the GFC and economic downturn in Australia. It has since fallen quite dramatically due to the trade down effect in the market in terms of consumers’ choice of outlet and also because Australians at the moment are eating out less often and spending less each time. However, whilst we expect the foodservice dollar to remain constant during 2012, there are signs that it is slowly on the rise again. A continued, albeit slow, rise depends, of course, on consumer confidence and the overall economy as well as economic developments overseas.