The upcoming holiday season gives consumers an excuse to celebrate in bars and restaurants, and could give the on-premise a welcome boost as 2024 comes to a close, according to CGA, the on-premise arm of market research firm NIQ.
CGA surveyed consumers on their visitation and purchasing plans for Halloween (October 31), Thanksgiving (November 28), Christmas (December 25) and New Year’s Eve (December 31).
Nearly one-third (28%) of consumers plan to visit the on-premise for Halloween, which falls on a Thursday this year. That percentage increases to 47% when including only the youngest legal-drinking-age (LDA) consumers (21-34 year olds).
Consumers plan to frequent neighborhood bars the most (33%), followed by sports bars (30%), casual dining chains (29%), fine dining restaurants (23%), hotel bars/restaurants (23%) and premium bars (21%).
Beer is the most popular bev-alc choice for those planning to visit the on-premise this spooky season, chosen by 37% of consumers, followed by whiskey (28%), vodka (26%), tequila (24%) and “shots” (23%).
Brewbound recently dove into consumers’ Halloween buying preferences in the off-premise, with data from market research firm Numerator. Read the full story here.
CGA also asked consumers about “featured drinks” for Halloween and what drives the decision to purchase specialty offerings. Nearly half (45%) said they’d purchase drinks that are “Halloween themed.” Other influences include:
- “The drink was on special offer/discount” (34%);
- “It makes my visit feel more special” (32%);
- “It fits the fall season” (32%);
- “It’s what I usually order” (30%);
- “It’s a signature venue drink” (29%);
- And “I saw other people order it” (22%).
About 5% of consumers said they would not order a featured drink when out for Halloween.
More than half of consumers (51%) said they are very likely/likely to visit the on-premise around the Thanksgiving holiday. That percentage increases to 59% when including only the youngest LDAs.
While the day before Thanksgiving is typically the biggest draw for on-premise visits during November – known as Blackout Wednesday or Drinksgiving – the day after the holiday a.k.a. Black Friday is when consumers are expected to go out the most this year (47%), followed by Saturday, November 30 (39%) and Wednesday, November 27 (36%). More than one-quarter of consumers (28%) plan to visit on Thanksgiving Day.
Beer is again the top choice for on-premise visitors for the Thanksgiving period (34%), followed closely by table wine (32%) and cocktails (30%).
“Being somewhere my friends wanted to go” is the most influential reason for consumers to visit an on-premise establishment around the holiday (35%), followed by discounted food (32%), free/complimentary items (30%), a lively atmosphere (26%) and “being part of my holiday traditions” (26%).
Christmas falls on a Wednesday this year. The holiday period is expected to be the most popular for on-premise visits, with 59% consumers planning to celebrate in bars and restaurants. That percentage increases to 66% when including 35-54 year olds.
The week before Christmas (December 18-23) is expected to be the most popular period for on-premise visits (64%), followed by December 27-30 a.k.a. the days before New Year’s Eve (43%), Christmas Eve (29%), Christmas Day (21%) and December 26 (17%).
More than one-third of consumers (35%) planning to purchase bev-alc picked beer as their No. 1 choice during the holiday, followed by table wine (33%), cocktails (32%), sparkling wine or champagne (28%) and whiskey (22%).
Similar to Thanksgiving, “being somewhere my friends wanted to go” was the main driver for consumers visiting the on-premise during the Christmas season (37%). Other incentives include:
- “A special event related to the holidays” (35%);
- “Free/complimentary items” (33%);
- Discounted food (31%);
- And “being part of my holiday traditions” (30%).
CGA also asked about plans for company holiday parties. Of the 61% of respondents that work for a company or organization, 26% said their company is planning a celebration in the on-premise and they plan to attend. Twenty-three percent said there is no party planned, while 11% said there is an on-premise celebration planned, but they do not plan to attend.
For those attending a work holiday event, 33% plan to drink beer, followed by soft drinks (27%), vodka (25%), whiskey (22%), table wine (22%), coffee (21%), cocktails (20%), tequila (19%), sparkling wine (18%) and shots (17%).
New Year’s Eve also falls on a Wednesday this year. Nearly half of consumers (47%) plan to visit the on-premise for the holiday. That percentage increases to 62% when including only the youngest LDAs.
Just over one-third of consumers (34%) who plan to purchase bev-alc in the on-premise for the occasion chose beer as their top choice, followed by cocktails (33%). Sparkling wine or champagne was third (29%), followed by shots (24%) and “spirit and mixer” (23%).
The top five influences for consumers to visit the on-premise during NYE include:
- “Being somewhere my friends wanted to go” (34%);
- “A lively atmosphere” (30%);
- “Free/complimentary items” (28%);
- Discounted food (27%);
- And live entertainment (27%).