Restaurant receipts edge up a measly 4.3%

Guess how much it totaled.

According to a government release, the value of total receipts of the restaurants sector was $23.3 billion in the third quarter of 2012, up 4.3% year on year, the Census & Statistics Department says.

Total purchases by restaurants were valued at $8.1 billion, up 0.5%. After discounting the effect of price changes, total restaurant receipts fell by 0.9% in volume.

Analysed by type of restaurant, total receipts of fast-food shops increased 6.7% in value and 2.7% in volume, while total receipts of miscellaneous eating and drinking places increased 9% in value and 3.4% in volume.

Chinese restaurants' total receipts increased 4.2% in value but fell 1.5% in volume. Non-Chinese restaurants' total receipts increased 2.2% in value but decreased 3% in volume. Total receipts for bars increased 2.6% in value but decreased 2.1% in volume.

On a seasonally adjusted quarter-to-quarter comparison, the volume of total restaurant receipts increased 1% in the third quarter compared with the second.

Comparing the first three quarters of 2012 with the same period in 2011, total restaurant receipts increased 4.9% in value but decreased 0.8% in volume.