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NSW bars, restaurants soar back to pre-pandemic levels

Business

Hospitality recovers with double-digit revenue increases in December, research finds.

By Keeli Cambourne 8 minute read

The NSW hospitality industry is recovering from the impact of two years of pandemic lockdowns according to data from point-of-sale and e-commerce software provider Lightspeed.

Its research shows revenue has rebounded to pre-covid levels in December with takings up

13 per cent for bars and 14 per cent for restaurants.

Minister for Hospitality and Racing Kevin Anderson said the government had introduced a raft of programs and initiatives to support the hospitality industry, including extending the temporary alfresco dining measures until the end of the year and allowing hotels and clubs to keep their doors open for longer for special events.

Since the outdoor dining initiative started in 2020, more than 700 licensed restaurants, pubs, cafes and small bars have been accessing fast-tracked, simplified approvals to extend their liquor licence boundaries to include new outdoor dining spaces.

In late 2022, the NSW government also launched an advertising campaign called Kickstart Your Career in Hospitality to encourage workers to the sector.

The program aims to help fill the estimated 50,000 vacant hospitality positions by highlighting the range of long-term career options throughout the industry and providing free, short training courses for those entering the sector.

A Hospitality Concierge service is also now available to help start-up outlets or existing ones grow by assisting businesses and local councils to navigate the liquor licensing and planning and regulatory changes introduced through the 24-Hour Economy reforms.

For more information on the concierge program, visit https://www.liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au/operating-a-business/running-your-business/hospitality-conciergelaunch.

For more information on extended trading or alfresco dining, please visit https://www.liquorandgaming.nsw.gov.au/launch.

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