Owners of catering establishments in Bashkiria are losing customers and revenue

The Republican public catering market has reduced its turnover due to the crisis. According to the regional body Rosstat, in the first quarter the turnover of catering establishments fell by 10.4%, to 5.69 billion rubles, with the most serious decline, by 22%, in March. The restaurateurs themselves admit that establishments in the high price segment have sank most noticeably, which is why they had to freeze or postpone the start of new projects. The owners of democratic cafes also felt the crisis. Experts do not expect improvement in the next year and a half.

Ufa restaurateurs noticed that the crisis has forced visitors to be more economical
Photo: Alexander Miridonov, Kommersant / buy photo

As follows from the data of the territorial body of Rosstat, the turnover of the public catering market in Bashkiria in the first quarter decreased by 10.4% compared to the results of the same period last year, to 5.69 billion rubles. If in January (by January 2014) its drop was almost imperceptible, by only 0.2%, then in February the decrease was 9.3%, and in March already 22%. In the first quarter of 2014, as follows from statistics, the trend was exactly the opposite: the catering market grew by 6.1% by January-March 2013. However, the slowdown in growth became noticeable already in the fall: in January-November last year, growth was only 1.2%.

Managers and owners of Ufa establishments say that all segments of the industry have felt the crisis. According to the director of the Gastro Gallery Restaurant & Bar, Gulnara Imaeva, in the first three months, turnover fell by 12.5%: “Since the beginning of the year, there has been a decrease in the number of guests, although the average check - 1.1 thousand rubles - remained at the same level, but mainly due to increased food prices.” “The consumer has become more prudent,” notes Ms. Imaeva. “If previously those sitting at the bar did not even open the bar card, now everyone is more focused on the price. In general, they started ordering less alcohol.” A similar picture, the interlocutor says, is observed in all Ufa restaurants and cafes. Some of them are in a state of pre-closure, primarily those located in areas with high rents. The second quarter, as Gulnara Imaeva hopes, will be better: “Perhaps at the end of last year - the beginning of this year, people were stressed and unaware of what to expect next from the economy in the country. Now that the situation is improving, there is hope for the best, and we expect planned growth.”

In reality, turnover decreased more, by about 20%, says Pavel Emelyanov, chairman of the Association of Restaurateurs, Culinary Artists and Hoteliers of the Republic. Restaurants in the high-price segment sank most noticeably, while more affordable establishments suffered less. “Visitors began to think about where to eat and for how much; before this was not so noticeable. Honestly, I don’t think that at the end of the year we will get last year’s results,” says Mr. Emelyanov.

“Macroeconomic trends do not allow us to hope for an increase in demand in the second quarter,” notes Oleg Bondar, owner of the management company Vkusno Projekt (develops the Izyum, Indochina, and Ugli restaurants). According to his observation, revenue decreased by less than 10% “thanks to service and attitude towards guests.” “We all trade in emotions, and people who are used to receiving positive emotions from us continue to come,” he added.

“It’s really not so much about money, but about mood,” agrees Alexander Gerson, manager of the Aquarelle restaurant. “On TV they constantly say: crisis, crisis, everything is bad, people are losing the mood to go to restaurants.” However, the manager notes that traffic in his restaurant has practically not decreased, but the cost of the average check has fallen by 10–15% and profitability has dropped by 20%.

The owner of the management company "Leader Group" (pubs Dublin, Watson, Morris, restaurants "Wine and Cheese", Sherlock Holmes, etc.) Sergei Belkin estimates the decrease in turnover and traffic in expensive restaurants at an average of 5-7%. At the same time, in democratic formats, according to him, the outflow of visitors and the reduction in revenue were practically not noticeable. The entrepreneur hopes that the market will “revive by the end of the year,” but in the meantime the company has had to reconsider plans for opening new establishments. In particular, it was decided to introduce the restaurant building on Lenin Street (formerly the Tinkoff restaurant) in stages, Mr. Belkin noted.

New market participants have revised their development plans. Entrepreneur Alexander Degtev postponed until the second half of the year the opening of a restaurant behind the Youth Theater, which he initially expected to open by the summer, but for now he decided to limit himself to opening a summer cafe. He hopes that during the crisis “weak players will leave the market, and strong players will take their place.”

“Consumer interest in a crisis traditionally shifts towards homemade food,” says Alexey Mogila, head of the Russian representative office of Rossmils Investments. According to his forecast, by the end of the year the catering market may decline by 25%. “The situation reminds me of 2008, after which improvements came only after one and a half to two years,” the expert concluded.

Bulat Bashirov

Not happy about the restaurant