Restaurants see decline in dining-in customers, rise in delivery

AMMAN — Demand at local restaurants dropped by 60 per cent this summer when compared with the summer of 2022, according to a sector representative.

Speaking with The Jordan Times, Omar Awad, president of the Jordan Association for Restaurants and Sweet Shops Owners, said: “The purchasing power and overall restaurant consumption throughout the year was low, and this summer in particular did not capture any additional revenue.”

He noted that the most popular dishes that are sold are fast-food dishes as “they are more attuned to the consumption habits of younger consumers”.

However, the volume of restaurants’ digital channels and online ordering services are increasing day by day, Awad said. In addition he pointed out that there is “an explosion in the number of new coffee places and houses which are becoming increasingly popular in Amman”.

Currently the demand is on the decline and the beginning of September was particularly low, said Mohammad Omari, an employee at a local restaurant on Thursday.

“Takeout and delivery are on the rise, but still traffic in restaurants which usually brought the highest profits are declining,” he further expressed.

On the contrary, Sameh Adwan who is an employee at a restaurant chain, told The Jordan Times that “sales at our restaurants are on the rise most probably because we have a wide range of options in the menu and the prices are surprisingly affordable”.