The dining scene in Melbourne and Sydney played second fiddle to the football finals last weekend, with both cities experiencing a drop in patronage.
Booking data from restaurant reservation platform, Dimmi, found that Melbourne diners dropped off by 33 percent on the AFL grand final day last Saturday, when compared with the prior week, with overall bookings nationwide dropping by 14 percent.
This compares with Sydney diners who dropped off by 11 percent on the NRL grand final day last Sunday, when compared with the previous week. Bookings across the country dropped by six percent.
?"What we typically see on big sporting days is that traditional, fine dining restaurants bomb and sporting bars and pubs boom," said Dimmi founder, Stevan Premutico.
?"Australians play sport, watch sport, bet on sport and talk sport more than anything else. It's who we are. ??But it's clear that major sporting events have a significant toll on the Aussie restaurant scene so? restaurants around the country need to adapt to suit these events so they don't bleed money."
The most frequented venues in NSW and VIC were:
NSW
Saturday 3 Oct
- Criniti's Castle Hill
- Criniti's Darling Harbour
- Mejico Sutherland Shire
- Criniti's Manly
- Mejico Pitt St CBD
Sunday 4 Oct
- The Butler Potts Point
- Icebergs Dining Room & Bar
- The Potting Shed
- Criniti's Darling Harbour
- The Greens
VIC
Saturday 3 Oct
- Olivigna
- Criniti's Carlton Melbourne
- Smith & Daughters
- Port Phillip Estate
- 'Locale' at De Bortoli Yarra Valley
Sunday 4 Oct
- Criniti's Carlton Melbourne
- Smith & Daughters
- Lady Carolina
- The Rocks Mornington
- Olivigna