Italy’s “Revenge Effect”: Despite Price Increases, Italians Cannot Give Up Dining Out

Although expensive-prices e inflation are the masters, going out to eat is a habit that Italians cannot give up despite the price increases on receipts restaurants. It will be the desire to go out after two years of pandemic or the simple fact of indulging in a couple of hours of leisure, but in the four-month period January-April of this year, catering consumption increased by 17.9% despite 8 out of 10 restaurants have raised the price of their menus.

What is the “revenge effect”

These numbers are revealed by two separate reports drawn up by the Confimprese-Jakala Observatory and by theCatering Observatory: the reason for the increases is the cascading effect caused by high bills (electricity and gas) which have increased by 16.7% compared to the first months of 2022, as has the cost of raw materials, more expensive by 12.1%. Hence an English term was used, “revenge effect“, literally “revenge effect”, at the basis of which is what we mentioned earlier: two years of a harsh pandemic and the renunciation of numerous social occasions have triggered the desire to see friends and acquaintances again to “recover” what was not possible in the previous two years, never mind if the bill to pay turns out to be high.

Offer and tourism

However, this is not the only reason: many restaurants have equipped themselves to satisfy all tastes and needs by refining their menu with choices also for vegans, vegetarians, coeliacs and more refined foods for those who also want to experience a gourmet experience and not “settle” just for the classic pizza or pasta dish. And let’s not forget the role of turismo: after two years on its knees, our country has returned to being one of the most visited in Europe as demonstrated by the Istat numbers which mark 45.5% more visitors than in 2022 only between January and February.

How was the long weekend of June 2nd?

And the effects can also be seen in this long weekend of June 2 that has just ended. On the Romagna Riviera flooded, the exceptional skill of the locals and the aid arriving from all over Italy helped in the “miracle” for this long weekend: sold out and double shifts almost everywhere in the restaurants due to the arrival of tourists. “Maybe a little less than last year, but they are coming. The water here is clean, the beach is equipped and we are as ready as ever“, declared the owner of one of the beaches in Rimini. The Rimini Wellness Fair and the Superbike on the Misano Adriatico circuit also helped the very rapid recovery: the Rimini coast, from Bellaria to Misano, was cleaned up in record time of the debris that had arrived at sea.

Lots of people too Roma and surroundings with receipts exceeding 52 million euros for classic catering “with consumption flows in the capital, on the entire Lazio coast from Fregene to Gaeta, in the Castelli, in Tuscia and in the Lakes area“, Claudio Pica, president of Fiepet-Confesercenti of Rome and Lazio, announced in a note. In addition to sightseeing, many people have favored wine tourism and food with fresh and km0 products.