After difficult months linked to Covid-19, the catering sector seems to be getting its head above water, despite general inflation at 6.2% over one year in November.
François Blouin, president and co-founder of Food Service Vision, assures that “
despite a complex economic environment, the catering sector is holding up
”.
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And for good reason, the sector, with canteens and local shops, should see an increase of 2 to 3% in its turnover in 2022 compared to 2019, the last reference year before Covid.
At the end of November, the out-of-home catering market exceeded that of 2019 by 1.7 billion euros, according to data from Food Service Vision, an expert firm specializing in the sector.
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In detail, the growth of out-of-home catering recorded a sharp increase of 11% in August, compared to 2019. It then fell to 9% in September, before contracting to 6% in October and to rise to 8% in November.
If these figures are maintained, it is above all thanks to commercial catering.
This includes, according to the government, “
traditional catering, fast food, drinking establishments, cafeterias and caterers
”.
“A real ability to adapt”
At the end of November, this sector recorded a gain of 2.4 billion euros in turnover, again compared to the same period two years earlier.
According to data relayed by the site Boursier.com, this is thus an increase of 13%, made up of 11% inflation and 2% increase in attendance at catering establishments.
“
These good results are above all a sign that the profession as a whole is showing a real capacity to adapt
,” agrees François Blouin.
For its part, collective catering - school, social and company - is significantly approaching its 2019 level. Its turnover is down 4% in November, against a decline of 20% in January.
This can be explained, in part, by employees who eat less lunch at their place of work and who increasingly resort to teleworking.
Despite these encouraging figures, rising prices “
remain a major concern for the profession.
According to our forecasts, this increase
upstream should continue at the beginning of next year, in particular because of persistent shortages of a certain number of products (dairy, sugar, vegetables, etc.)
, mentions François Blouin.
These increases have a direct impact on the shopping basket of restaurateurs, which evolves from 15 to 18% depending on the product.
As a result, tensions on the margins appear.
"
To these 'upstream' increases will be added increases in the cost of energy
" in 2023, also warns the founder of Food Service Vision.
