May was another bad month for Western-style restaurants in Macao, with takings plunging by nearly 7 percent compared to April, according to the latest survey from the Statistics and Census Service (known by its Portuguese initials DSEC).
The decline comes after a 7.5 percent decrease recorded between March and April for establishments in the category. Compared to May 2023, Western restaurants suffered a 12.5 percent fall in receipts.
Japanese and Korean restaurant operators are also struggling, with takings at their establishments down by more than 18 percent compared to May last year.
[See more: Macao’s independent restaurateurs are facing a catastrophic loss of business]
Receipts at Chinese establishments rose by 13.7 percent month on month, but in general restaurateurs expect the lean times to continue. Some 38 percent of those surveyed by the DSEC feared another month-on-month drop in receipts from May to June, with only 10 percent hoping for an increase.
Macao’s dining sector has found it hard to regain its footing since the end of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Although tourists have returned to the SAR in large numbers, locals are choosing to dine on the Chinese mainland, where variety is greater and prices much cheaper. Competition from the mainland, and soaring food costs, have created a perfect storm for local restaurants, with as many as 40 percent thinking of closing, according to an informal survey conducted by the Macao Catering Industry Association.
