Everyone who likes to eat out has not forgotten the fact that they have to dig deeper into their pockets when visiting the restaurant. However, the willingness to pay more and more for lunch started to wane.

Since the beginning of this year, the price of lunch has increased by one or two crowns each month. Restaurant operating costs are rising and their owners cannot afford to bear them all.

The margin of the catering sector is very sensitive to possible declines. The average lunch price in June reached CZK 160.20, which is 10.1% higher than a year ago. And it seems to be an amount that for many Czechs represents the ceiling of financial possibilities.

Data from the Czech Statistical Office and the Ticket Restaurant Card Index show that restaurant prices rose 23.5% year-on-year in June. At the same time, however, the gap between the amount spent and the cost of food increases. Thus, in May, restaurant prices rose 11.6% faster than spending; in June, the gap was already 13.4%.

Which means only one thing: customers choose less expensive dishes from menus, go without salads and drinks, and consider afternoon coffee with dessert more and more of a luxury. Some people have even stopped going to lunch altogether.

Restaurants currently have only 53% of lunch diners compared to the pre-covid period. It doesn’t look like this summer season – like the first covid rollout in the summer of 2020 – will significantly help restaurateurs to make up for losses,” says Aneta Martišková, board member at Edenred, which publishes the Ticket Restaurant Card Index. .

The price of lunch now plays a major role in choosing a restaurant. According to a survey conducted by BC21, a company dedicated to projects and consulting in the gastronomy sector, 48% of Czech employees make their decision based on price.

Due to current price increases, 54% of people now dine out less often than before the 2019 pandemic. People who receive food stamps are more likely to eat lunch in a restaurant and spend more than people without. food stamps.

According to data presented by Edenred, people in Prague eat the most expensive lunches, where the average price of a lunch in June soared to 179 CZK. The second most expensive city for lunch is Brno, where lunches cost an average of 171 CZK.

The cheapest places to eat are Olomouc (143 CZK) and Karlovy Vary (147 CZK). In Ostrava, for example, the highest percentage increase was recorded: in June 2020, lunch cost 126 CZK, this year it is already 157 CZK.

Czechs are increasingly avoiding dining out. BC21 reports that women are more likely to bring home-cooked meals to work, while boxed meals are more popular among young people. According to the survey, 45% of employees eat lunch at home or at home on a weekday. And a third of people choose this shape more often than in 2019.

Restaurant owners expect further declines in customers and sales in the coming months. Businesses focused on low costs and those that provide excellent customer experiences at an affordable price will be more likely to thrive.