Greenlight to dining in for Italy, since yesterday, June 1st. Little by little, this late spring seems to become more and more worth living, perhaps sitting at the table of our favorite restaurant for lunch or dinner and perhaps in an indoor area. After months of substantial impossibility to work, this is an important restart for bars, restaurants, pubs, and all the eating out places.
Up to now, only a small part of Italian businesses has been able to count on adequate outdoor areas. Those who have been able to reopen have often done so with too few numbers, not useful for the perception of a real restart. It is a step towards returning to the rhythms of a year and a half ago, now. Another step will be the reconquest of the “white zone” and the consequent fall of the hourly limit imposed by the curfew.
It cannot be forgotten that the balance sheet, drawn up on May 18th, by the latest Fipe-Confcommercio report, is a real war bulletin. 97.5% of companies recorded, in fiscal 2020, a decrease in turnover for more than 6 out of 10 restaurateurs, with a decrease of more than 50% compared to 2019 turnover. In 14 months, employment in the sector collapsed, and, including some accommodation services, 514,000 jobs have been lost, equal to double the 245,000 created between 2013 and 2019. The crisis has not only overwhelmed supply but has also profoundly influenced demand: if the consumption of Italians has become less sophisticated, domestic food spending has not managed to cover even 20% of what was lost with the stop of bars and restaurants. Public businesses have seen 31 billion in revenues go up in smoke, more than a third of an annual average which, in normal times, was over 85 billion.
Today, hope seems to return and 84.3% of Italian restaurateurs are betting on a recovery, however, subject to the end of the emergency. According to the interviewees, 2021 will still be a year of decreasing revenues, on average by 20%. 66% of the managers of large companies in the supply chain (industry, distribution, and catering) expect a return to normal not before 2022-2023, while 27% think that only in 2024 there will be a real reversal of the trend.
In any case, the experts prepare themselves and identify two main roads. For 27%, entrepreneurs will have to focus on an increase in digital services, starting with home delivery and sustainable and effective forms of take away, through specially designed menus. Another 27% suggests, on the other hand, to leverage on a quality improvement, on an identity specialization, capable of guaranteeing recognition and greater value. In this perspective, punctual marketing, communication, and certification activities are increasingly decisive. This last aspect is increasingly important also thanks to the awareness of many criteria considered and perceived by the customer as determining factors: raw materials, supply chain, sustainability, and environmental impact, tradition, and territoriality.
ITA0039 with the 100% Italian Taste Certification Protocol, certifies that these parameters are respected, as a guarantee for the consumer-customer, starting with the verification of true Italianness. Certification means entering the ITA0039 Network: a virtuous circle, which entitles members to take advantage of a series of benefits, such as inclusion in the APP, with immediate visibility, discounts on the purchase of supply chain goods guaranteed and dedicated marketing and communication services, to add value, including narrative, to your product/service.
The Network makes possible a real customer – restaurateur – producer connection, thanks to which it is possible to know exactly what is in the dishes served at the table, guaranteeing on one hand, to customers, the certainty of eating 100% Italian and, on the other , to restaurateurs to buy authentic Made in Italy products. A safe and certified channel for the purchase of genuine products directly from Italian producers. A short supply chain, for the benefit of entrepreneurs and artisans of the Made in Italy taste, interested in being protected in their mission of spreading the Italian tradition through the restaurant business.
In these hours of real restart, on the day when the Italian Republic Day is celebrated, ITA0039 supports, more and more, the real Italian restaurateurs, wherever they are.