Australian Bureau of Statistics figures just released reveal how resilient the restaurant and catering industry really is, says the industry’s representative body.

The data shows that in December last year the industry turned over $1.6bn—an increase of 14.5 per cent on the same time in 2008.

This saw the calendar year close with $16bn for the year, 7.21 per cent up on 2008 overall.

Restaurant & Catering Australia president Peter Doyle said the result shows Australians are committed to the “great lifestyle we all enjoy”.

“Going out and enjoying a meal with friends or celebrating over lunch or dinner is an important part of that lifestyle,” he said.

Doyle said the strong revenue result was not reflective of productivity as the income generated was, in part, earned through promotion and packaged pricing initiated through the GFC period.

This level of activity enabled sustained employment growth within the 250,000 strong work force.

The stand-out achiever in the last quarter was New South Wales with turnover for the three months in excess of $1.5 billion. December 2009 was the first month in which the industry in NSW achieved over $500m.