The number of Italians choosing to spend Christmas lunch at a restaurant is increasing. According to estimates by Fipe Confcommercio, in fact, there are 5.5 million people (+1.8% compared to last year) who will sit down at the table in one of the more than 93 thousand restaurants open for the occasion (70% of the total) for a total expenditure estimated at 451 million (+7.1% on Christmas 2024)
As far as the offer is concerned, restaurateurs are betting firmly on all-inclusive formulas, a choice adopted by 72.4% of those surveyed.The average expenditure for Christmas lunch will be 82 euros per person, including drinks, 5.1% more than in 2024.
“But the value of the Italian restaurant industry does not lie only in the biodiversity of the gastronomic proposal but also in the diversification of prices in order to be accessible to the greatest number of people even at particularly significant times,” note Fipe. “If for about six out of ten restaurants the price of Christmas lunch is in the range between 50 and 80 euros, 19.1% of establishments will also stay under 50 euros for a menu that goes from the starter to dessert, including drinks.
From a gastronomic point of view, “lunch will feature the great classics such as different varieties of broth, roasts and game, vegetables of all kinds and, to finish, simple and filled panettone, nougat and traditional local sweets”.
The clientele is predominantly made up of residents (75%), flanked by 19% Italian tourists and just over 5% foreign visitors. There is a moderately positive sentiment among the sector’s entrepreneurs, with the balance between those who expect Christmas to be better than the previous one and those who fear, on the contrary, a worsening at +10%.
“Christmas is a precious occasion to get together and share moments of serenity as a family. In a historical period marked by uncertainty and suffering, food and catering prove to be formidable instruments of sociality, conviviality and even peace. Catering is not just nutrition but a condensate of social and cultural values that have also been confirmed in the recent recognition attributed by Unesco to Italian cuisine,” comments Lino Enrico Stoppani, president of Fipe.
Dining and Cooking