Catering sector sees steady October

The nation's catering sector continued its steady recovery in October, with total revenue rising 3.8 percent year-on-year to 519.9 billion yuan ($73.12 billion), said the National Bureau of Statistics. Revenue from large-scale catering enterprises also saw growth, up 3.7 percent at 145.9 billion yuan.

Over the first 10 months of the year, the sector generated 4.62 trillion yuan in revenue, a 3.3 percent increase from the same period last year, with large enterprises contributing 1.35 trillion yuan, up 2.4 percent.

The growth in catering outpaced the broader retail market, which stood at 2.8 percent in October, with the catering sector accounting for 11.2 percent of total retail sales — a 0.5 percentage point increase from the previous month. "This indicates that the release of residents' travel and tourism demand, driven by the dual-holiday effect, has boosted consumption in areas such as dining out and travel-related catering," said the China Hospitality Association.

Additionally, amid the trends of integrated and experiential consumption, some catering enterprises have continued to develop novel products, technologies and business models, thereby expanding into new markets, said the association.

A preholiday survey by the China Cuisine Association revealed that 66.7 percent of catering businesses reported stable or higher revenue and foot traffic during the holiday, signaling ongoing consumer demand for dining and travel services.

Shanghai emerged as a standout in the recovery, with catering revenue reaching 16.31 billion yuan in October, marking a 2.1 percent year-on-year increase and a 7.0 percent month-on-month rebound.

This surge was fueled by the National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival holiday in the month, which saw the city welcome 25.5 million tourists, up 19.7 percent from the previous year. Hotel occupancy also rose 3.9 percentage points to 63.7 percent, further boosting the local economy.

The city's "night economy" policies have played a key role in this recovery, with the opening of 1,592 new catering businesses in October alone, a 15.9 percent increase from the previous year, according to Jiefang Daily.

Shanghai has also distributed substantial subsidies to encourage consumer spending, including 144 million yuan in dining vouchers earlier this year, with another 350 million yuan set for release in the second half of 2025.

These initiatives have driven a 20 percent increase in foot traffic for participating brands, with 30 percent of orders tied to voucher-driven meal sets.