Tracking Atlanta’s nightlife spending after COVID-19
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About 31% of bar and restaurant transactions across Atlanta using Square have occurred between 7pm and 4am so far in 2023, per data from the point-of-sale company.
- That's down from 34% from last year, but up 29% from 2019 — before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Driving the news: Atlanta walks a delicate line balancing public safety and nightlife, which is one of its most undervalued and important industries, Thomas writes.
- During a City Council meeting last year after the creation of the city's nightlife division, rapper Killer Mike called Atlanta nightlife a billion-dollar industry.
- Yes, but: Atlanta's nightlife scene has also dwindled from what it was two decades ago, Kristal writes.
The big picture: There are some signs that we're becoming a "nation of early birds," as the Wall Street Journal recently put it, partly because the pandemic shifted how we spend our time.
- One contributing factor: "Hybrid and remote workers itching to leave the house as soon as they close their laptops," per the Wall Street Journal.
- Resy data recently shared with Axios shows that 5pm dinner reservations are more popular now than in the last five years.
Of note: Square can't capture all transactions across all venues in a given city — it only knows about those made using its platform and tech.
- Still, its use is widespread enough for its data to point to broad trends.
The bottom line: The trends in Atlanta's nightlife spending will likely contribute to whether the city changes the closing hours of its bars.