Public holidays can be difficult to navigate for the hospitality industry. On the one hand, the demand for restaurants is high, but on the other, the increased operating costs can eat into profits. It requires some careful management and forward thinking, but it is possible to celebrate public holidays with your customers and protect your profit margin.
ResDiary have put together some interesting insights on the performance of restaurants on previous public holidays, so you can determine how your restaurant may be affected and make conscious decisions. Our full guide will cover a checklist for restaurants, how integrated software can help your profitability and the rules and regulations around the restaurant industry award pay rates.
All of these tips will help you make the most out of public holidays and enjoy what you do best, serving delicious meals and experiences to customers.
Australia has a number of National public holidays as well as state specific holidays that occur yearly. Some public holidays are implemented as a one-off event, such as Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral in September 2022.
Some National public holidays remain on the same day every year and some vary for different reasons. However, all of them observe a “day-in-lieu” if they fall on a weekend, meaning the Monday will be given as a public holiday instead.
Although some rules differ for certain states and territories, these public holidays are followed across all of Australia:
We have analysed the ResDiary data trends from 2021 - 2023 for most public holidays in Australia. We will cover our findings on preferred dining times, booking sizes, types of restaurants favoured and the spend per head.
We have also examined the restaurant trade statistics for the day before and after Monday and Tuesday public holidays. A national holiday may not only affect your restaurant for one day, it may change the way you trade before and after too.
With this information, you can make informed decisions based on what diners want from restaurants per public holiday.
In order to paint a complete picture of the hospitality industry, ResDiary's analysis has split venues into 5 categories, based on the average spend per customer. The categories are:
Category 1 - On-the-go venues (<$20)
Category 2 - Pubs/Cafes ($20-$40)
Category 3 - Casual Dining ($40-$60)
Category 4 - Sophisticated Dining ($60-$80)
Category 5 - Fine Dining (>$80)
Where we don’t have data, this will be categorised as “NULL”.
Our data shows that the average spend per head has dropped per public holiday from 2021-2023.
Most of the spread: Between 12 PM - 7PM
Most Preferred time slots: 12 PM, 5PM and 7 PM are the most popular dining times, accounting for more than 50% bookings.
Top 3 booking sizes for Anzac Day : 2, 4 and 6-10.
Category 1 - On-the-go venues (<$20)
Category 2 - Pubs/Cafes ($20-$40)
Category 3 - Casual Dining ($40-$60)
Category 4 - Sophisticated Dining ($60-$80)
Category 5 - Fine Dining (>$80)
Preferred venues on Anzac day are Casual Dining Restaurants (price point between $40 and $60) or Sophisticated Restaurants (price point between $60 and $80).
Our statistics show that spend per head has dropped significantly from 2021 to 2023 on Anzac Day
Most of the spread: Between 12 PM - 8PM
Most Preferred time slots: 12 PM, 5PM, 6 PM, and 7 PM are the most popular dining times on Australia Day, accounting for more than 60% bookings.
Top 3 booking sizes on Australia Day: 2,4 and 6-10.
Preferred venues for Australia Day are Casual Dining Restaurants (price point between $40 and $60) and Sophisticated Restaurants (price point between $60 and $80).
Australia Day spend per head increased from 2021 to 2022 but then dropped back down in 2023.
Most of the spread: Between 12 PM - 8PM
Most Preferred time slots: 12 PM, 6 PM and 7 PM are the most preferred dining times accounting for more than 50% bookings on Easter Sunday.
Top 3 booking sizes on Easter Sunday: 2,4 and 6-10
Preferred venues for Easter Sunday are Casual Dining Restaurants (price point between $40 and $60) and Sophisticated Restaurants (price point between $60 and $80).
The Easter Sunday spend per head has dropped significantly from 2021 to 2023.
Most of the spread: Between 12 PM - 8PM
Most Preferred time slots: 12 PM, 1 PM, 5 PM, 6 PM and 7 PM are the most preferred dining times accounting for more than 60% bookings on Good Friday.
Top 3 booking sizes on Good Friday : 2,4 and 3.
Preferred venues for Good Friday are Casual Dining Restaurants (price point between $40 and $60) and Sophisticated Restaurants (price point between $60 and $80).
Good Friday’s spend per head was high in 2021 but has notably dropped in 2022 and 2023.
Similar to NSW, Victoria also sees a huge rise in bookings in 2019 equating to 368% and a sharp decline due to Covid where it lost about 90% of its booking compared to the 2019 peak. Similarly, there is a positive trend in 2022, albeit not as high as NSW (114%) but at a 23% rise from 2021.
Most of the spread: Between 12 PM - 8PM
Most Preferred time slots : 12 PM, 1 PM, 6 PM and 7 PM are the most popular dining times, accounting for more than 60% bookings in Victoria on Melbourne Cup day.
Top 3 booking size in Victoria on Melbourne Cup: 2, 4 and 3
The most popular venues on the Melbourne Cup Victoria public holiday are Casual Dining Restaurants ($40-$60) and Sophisticated Dining Restaurants ($60-$80).
Our data shows the average pend from 2021 to 2022 on Melbourne Cup day in Victoria decreased slightly.
When we look at the data over the last 5 years, we see there is a big jump between 2018-2019 (about 402%). But after that, there is a sharp decline over the next two years , presumably due to Covid, where it lost almost 95% bookings in 2021 compared to the peak of 2019. With Covid settling down and border’s opening, there is an upward trend in 2022, which is about 114% increase from 2021.
Most of the spread: Between 12 PM - 8PM
Most Preferred time slots: 12 PM, 5 PM, 6 PM, 7 PM, and 8 PM are the most preferred dining times accounting for more than 50% bookings on Anzac day.
Top 3 booking size: 2,4 and 6-10
The most popular restaurant in NSW on Melbourne Cup day is a casual dining venue with a price point between $40 and $60.
Most of the spread: Between 12 PM - 8PM
Most Preferred time slots: 12 PM, 1PM, 5 PM, 6 PM and 7 PM are the most popular dining times on New Year's Day in Australia.
Top 3 booking size on New Year’s Day: 2,4 and 6-10
The most popular restaurants, based on price points, on New Year's Day are Casual Dining Restaurants ($40-$60) and Sophisticated Dining Restaurants ($60-$80).
The spend per head in NSW on Melbourne Cup day stayed consistent between 2021 and 2022 but then decreased significantly in 2023.
Most of the spread : Between 8 AM - 8PM
Most Preferred time slots : 8-9 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM , 5 PM, 6 PM and 7 PM are the most preferred dining times accounting for more than 70% bookings on the Queen’s Birthday.
Top 3 booking size : 2,4 and 6-10
The most popular restaurants, based on price points, on the Queen’s Birthday are Casual Dining Restaurants ($40-$60) and Sophisticated Dining Restaurants ($60-$80).
On the Queen’s Birthday, the spend per head notably dropped from 2021 to 2022 but then increased slightly in 2023.
When we compare our data on the average number of bookings across Monday’s and Tuesday’s in 2021 and 2022, we can see that the Queen’s Birthday bookings increase.
We can see that across 2021 , when a public holiday falls on Monday , the day before sees a big uplift in bookings , 40% . This could be because a lot more ppl dine out on that Sunday considering the next day is a day off. Expectedly , the day after the public holiday sees a slight dip , 5%.
Similar to Monday , when a public holiday falls on Tuesday , the previous Monday sees a huge uplift in the booking at 147% when analysed for Queens Bday in 2022. Expectedly , the day after the public holiday sees a sharp decline, 40% when compared to avg. bookings on Wednesday throughout 2022
To ensure you manage your restaurant efficiently during busy public holidays, we have put together a checklist for restaurants to follow. You can make informed business decisions to ensure you take advantage of the increased demand when it makes sense to your business.
Although a checklist of decisions may seem overwhelming, it is possible to manage all of this from one integrated system. ResDiary POS and reservation software can help you analyse and tick off your checklist with ease, so you can concentrate on serving diners.
ResDiary is much more than a reservation system, it can integrate into your inventory, staff management, marketing and menu planning. Having all of your processes and data in one place will make managing your restaurant straightforward and save you time.
Read through how our features can help prepare your restaurant for profitability on public holidays in Australia.
ResDiary software has the ability to integrate with your website, social media and Google so you can update all of your changes to menus, prices and opening hours from one place. With full email marketing features, you can incorporate email and SMS marketing into your strategy and ensure as many customers as possible return to your restaurant on public holidays.
Staff rostering can be one of the most time consuming elements of running a restaurant, especially when there are multiple changes made. Public holiday regulations stipulate that full and part-time employees must be paid a minimum of four hours if they work a public holiday, so it is even more important to plan your timetable to get the most out of the hours you pay for.
ResDiary software gives you the ability to analyse your data and plan an efficient staff timetable. The reservation feature allows you to forecast for the future and make roster decisions based on your peak times, rather than going in blind.
With a fully integrated ordering and payment system, you are able to update your digital menu at any time. This is especially useful when preparing for a public holiday as tweaking your menu for maximum profitability is key.
With the increase in staff overheads, you may make the decision to offer takeaway only on public holidays and save on service staff wages. The ResDiary takeaway and delivery features enable you to set up a quick and simple online menu specific to your public holiday service.
It includes automatic and personalised updates, dietary icons and cooking modifiers to ensure your service is personable for your customers but also quick and easy for your staff.
A public holiday surcharge is different to a credit card surcharge in that there is no upper limit. However, you must still follow the guidelines by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
One of the biggest considerations for a restaurant on public holidays is whether or not to incorporate a surcharge into your pricing. With the ResDiary software, you are able to make changes to your menu or additional fees instantly and integrate it into your POS system, digital menus and prepay features easily.
Read our pros and cons of surcharge pricing to decide if it is right for your restaurant each public holiday.
Having a reservation software is vital for any restaurant as the majority of customers make their decisions through online platforms. On public holidays, a reservation software that integrates with Google, social media and your website can help you attract more diners and manage your peak times with ease.
Having an efficient inventory management process is important all year round, but especially for a public holiday. With the increased overheads to account for, it is beneficial to examine your inventory and ensure you not only have enough stock for peak times but don’t overorder items not likely to sell. Read our 14 ways to reduce food costs in your restaurant guide.
ResDiary inventory management can go hand-in-hand with analysing your sales and reservation data to make informed decisions.
Public holidays can cause a considerable amount of stress on restaurant management due to the tight squeeze on a profit margin. Nevertheless, a public holiday is still an opportunity to connect with new customers, increase brand loyalty and staff morale. Through careful management and research, you can plan ahead to make the most of opening your doors on a public holiday.
The restaurant industry award is divided into classifications based on hours, level and age. Each classification has a minimum pay rate applied. Whatever their base rate is, all classifications are entitled to penalty rates on public holidays:
An employees public holiday penalty hourly rate can be calculated as follows:
Penalty rate % / 100 x hourly rate
For further management tips, read our comprehensive guide to staff entitlements on public holidays.
As full and part-time employees are entitled to a minimum four hours pay on any public holidays you require them to work, it is important to ensure they work over peak times. If a full or part-time employee is scheduled to work over a none-busy period and you let them go home after 1 hour, you must still pay them for 4 hours.
Analyse your reservations and past data trends to ensure your staff rostering is as efficient as possible to save you money on unnecessary overheads.
Public holidays present an opportunity to attract new customers and sell new menu items. As many restaurants decide to close on some holidays, customers look for alternative venues to their local favourites.
Ahead of public holidays, ensure your staff are trained with all menu changes, surcharges and opening hours so they can provide the best service possible. If you ask your staff to work on a holiday, invest in them and appreciate their time and dedication to your business. A happy staff member directly impacts your customer service.
With the increased overheads, a public holiday is an opportunity to upsell high-profit margin items or luxury drink options. Customers may be looking to celebrate so introduce KPI’s and incentives for your employees to upsell. This not only increases your chances of profits, it gives you a chance to trial initiatives and analyse the data on your POS system to improve for the next public holiday.
With the potential of new diners, you have the opportunity to encourage customer reviews, sign up their email or pre-book a table for a future date. Even if a public holiday eats into your profit margin, you can see it as a day to market yourself and build out your customer base. Investing in customer retention helps you guarantee future growth.