Jun 12, 2024 - News
How the pandemic changed Richmond's dining habits
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If you needed a sign to say no to another weekday lunch, this is it.
The big picture: Richmonders are slowly saying goodbye to the pre-pandemic era of getting lunch by the office and grabbing happy hour drinks after work, per Square data.
- Instead, that restaurant spending is shifting to the weekend.
- It reflects a trend of pandemic behavior changes — and potentially an important insight for restaurants as they continue adapting to thrive.
Here's the numbers breakdown looking at the share of purchases from food and drink establishments using Square.
- Weekday lunch (11am-2pm) fell from 21% in 2019 to 19% in 2023.
- Happy hour (weekdays 4-6pm) dropped from 7% in 2019 to 6% last year.
- The weekend (Saturday and Sunday) rose from 35% in 2019 to 36% in 2023.
Between the lines: The weekend always had our hearts, but now, even more so.
- Though not before 10am since most Richmond residents are not early morning breakfast people.
The bottom line: See you at brunch — likely at Joe's Inn or Lulu's.