Italian fare to the fore in fiscal crisis

    BLAME the recession; our eating habits are changing. Fine dining and going out for breakfast are out, and fast food, club dining and the local Asian or European restaurant are in.

    And Victorians are bucking the national love affair with Chinese food, with Italian fare the most popular here.

    "The fine-dining restaurants have started to feel the pinch in the last year," said BIS Shrapnel forecaster Sissel Rosengren. "We still want to eat out but we don't spend as much each time and we don't go out as often. The winners in this market are really the fast-food clubs, the fast-food independent outlets."

    Clubs, such as RSL and rugby league clubs, provided entertainment for the family, she said. Another winner was the lower-end greater-service restaurants: the Chinese and Italian. "They are fuller than ever."

    According to the BIS Shrapnel report Fast Food in Australia 2009, Australians' dining habits have changed over the decades. In the past, dining out was a treat, but is now commonplace.

    "Some of the treat element has come back into the market because of the bad economic times," said Ms Rosengren. The report, based on a survey of 1200 consumers, predicts the dining-out market will contract 2.1 per cent in 2009, with a recovery of 1 per cent in 2010. Before the financial crisis, the market was growing by 6 to 7 per cent a year.

    "Cafes are also suffering because although we're rewarding ourselves with a cup of coffee, we don't have as many as before. And up until the financial crisis, the going out for breakfast was the fastest-growing meal segment. No longer."

    Lunch outlets had also been hit hard as more people brought their lunch from home. What we're eating when we eat out is also changing. A recent Sensis consumer report noted that three in 10 Australians nominated Chinese or Italian as their favourite cuisine. The third most popular was Thai.

    There was also variation around the nation. Italian was the most preferred cuisine in Victoria and South Australia. Thai food was No. 1 in NSW. For all other states and territories, Chinese was either top or equal top. Australian, English or traditional food came in fifth at 13 per cent, after Indian, Sri Lankan or Pakistani food at 17 per cent.

    Ms Rosengren speculated that Italian was top in Victoria because many migrants from southern Europe settled here after World War II.

    Rosa Mitchell, head chef at Flinders Lane Italian restaurant Journ文章来源中国酒业新闻网al Canteen, said the popularity of Italian could be because wine was popular in Melbourne and wine was a good accompaniment to Italian food.

    Ms Mitchell said Italian food was tasty and simple. "It's not too complicated. It's food you can eat every day … southern Italian doesn't have any cream or butter. It appeals to all age groups, including young children."

    Customer Ross Thompson, of Richmond, said Italian was his favourite cuisine. "I guess it's just the richness of flavour … you can almost hear the Mediterranean lapping at the window."