Data from hospitality tech provider me&u has revealed Father’s Day boosts spending in pubs and other on-premise venues by more than a third.

In 2022, national revenue on Father’s Day was up 32% compared to the previous four Sundays.

The average spend per order also surged on Father’s Day, increasing in value by 28% as people celebrated with their dads and father figures at pubs and other on-premise venues.

The average number of items per order across the country also increased 3.5 times versus the previous four Sundays.

The tap, order, pay technology provider’s data showed the nation’s capital takes the crown for favourite child, with the ACT seeing the highest uplift in venue revenue at an 83% increase in spend. Victorians came second, splurging on their fathers and coming in with a 49% increase, followed by Queensland at 39% and NSW at 17%.  

Most popular Father’s Day drinks orders at pubs

The me&u data shows Father’s Day drinks orders in pubs and other venues were up 9% overall in Australia on 2022.

Beer sales were up 6%, with the most popular styles being Lager, Pacific Ale and Pale Lager.

Cocktail sales were up by 7%, with the top orders being Espresso Martinis, Margaritas and Mojitos. 

Food revenue was up 42% on average in venues around Australia on Father’s Day last year, with parmies, schnitties and Southern fried chicken burgers the most-ordered pub feeds.

Cost of living not denting pub popularity

Among the hospitality groups anticipating a big Father’s Day is Endeavour Group, which has 353 pubs throughout Australia.

While sales at its bottle shops fell in FY23, Endeavour Group celebrated record pub profits, with sales up 31% to $1.98billion.

Endeavour Group CEO Steve Donohue said people were flocking to its venues, with food sales particularly strong, as a hunger to socialise after COVID-19 lockdowns outweighing cost-of-living pressures.

“People are absolutely back into pubs, and they are there on times of day and days of the week they wouldn’t ordinarily be there,” Donohue said.

“Our hotels offer welcoming and affordable social moments, from a drink and meal with friends, to live music and quality accommodation. Providing this comprehensive range of experiences has delivered strong results in the first period of unrestricted trading since 2019.”

Father’s Day spending boost for drinks retailers

Australians are set to splash out $860 million on Father’s Day gifts this year, with food and alcohol predicted to be the top gifts for dads.

Research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) in collaboration with Roy Morgan projects a modest dip in Father’s Day spending this year, down $12 million (1.3%) from 2022.  

Food and alcohol are slated to be the most popular gift for Dad, mentioned by 18% of survey respondents, followed by clothing and shoes (10%) and books, music and games (6%). More than two-thirds of Australians plan on spending the same on Father’s Day this year compared to last year (69%), while 14% plan on spending more and 17% intend to spend less.  About a fifth of respondents’ plan on celebrating Father’s Day with a meal at a café or restaurant. 

ARA CEO Paul Zahra said: “Father’s Day is another gift-giving event centred around giving back – and we find that when shoppers are showing appreciation for loved ones, they are more likely to splash out. 

“This is a very social family event and, food and alcohol are typically the favoured gifts on Father’s Day, with barbeques and gatherings proving a very popular way to celebrate the occasion.” 

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