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Restaurant Month 2017 delivers results for participants and the city

News story
Monday 16 Oct 2017

The results are in for this year's Restaurant Month, and we are happy to report that once again it was a success for the city and for the businesses involved.

Spending at participating restaurants, over a 100, was up $1.5 million compared to August 2016, a remarkable 10.6% increase, especially given that spending at restaurants in comparable ‘competing areas’ was up only 3.6%. Transaction numbers with participants also grew by an impressive 11.7% compared to 6.9% with competitors; meaning that participating restaurants enjoyed a greater increase in diner numbers than the rest of the market.  

Restaurant Month is a great opportunity for the city centre to gain positive visibility and awareness through public relations surrounding the event. This year, Restaurant Month earned $1.8 million worth of PR value through coverage online, on television, in print and on the radio.

Feedback from restaurants involved was also positive, with 90% of participating businesses telling us that they intend on participating again.

“We got a definite bump of customers! We are ultimately happy participants of Restaurant Month.”
Cafe Hanoi and Xuxu Dumpling Bar

“Without a doubt, Restaurant Month created a great deal of awareness for our restaurant.”
The Cut Restaurant & Bar

Restaurant Month is a key component of our work promoting Auckland’s city centre as a vibrant, diverse and world-class destination. A successful and dynamic dining and hospitality scene is an important element of a city being an appealing place to spend time.

In our most recent research into Aucklanders’ perceptions of the city and what drives their visits, dining was the reason most commonly given (35% of respondents) as the main reason they come to the city centre.  In the last quarter, dining was the largest consumer spending category for the city centre, with 27.1% of all spending in restaurants and cafés. 

  • Image: Max Lemesh