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March/April 2023 IV MAGAZINE balance of more than 10,600 units behind which lie various causes: from the aftermath of the pandemic crisis to the sharp increase in costs, especially for ingredients and energy (+200%), which have severely eroded the operating margins of companies. The study, however, emphasises that the sector’s inflationary drive has been more restrained than at a general level, with prices rising by 5% compared to the 8.1% recorded for the economy as a whole in 2022. This figure reveals a certain difficulty for companies in managing the price adjustment phase, due to contextual evaluations but also to conservative choices, often made out of fear of losing customers rather than due to proper awareness. A SNAPSHOT OF PUBLIC ESTABLISHMENTS 28.2 per cent of businesses are run by women and 12.3 per cent by young people under 35, while more than 50,000 foreign entrepreneurs now run a restaurant or bar. As for employment, according to the FIPE Study Centre, there was a definite leap forward that brought it back close to pre- pandemic levels. Specifically, the more than 165,000 companies with at least one employee employed an average of more than 987,000 workers in 2022, only 3,700 fewer than in 2019. The scenario for 2023 remains cautiously positive. In fact, FIPE-Confcommercio analysts estimate a growth in the sector of between 5 and 10%, which is also confirmed by the sentiment of those working in the sector: 70% of restaurants think they will maintain the targets achieved in 2022, with 1 restaurateur out of 4 even believing they will exceed them. There is basically a positive mood about the prospects for the sector. Nine out of ten entrepreneurs are confident about the future, although they recognise that it is necessary to cope with the changes imposed by the pandemic emergency. “This year’s Report tells of a ‘reversal’, as in the year just gone we have seen the other side of the post-pandemic crisis reveal itself: from the demand crisis we have gone in the space of a few months to a cost crisis,’ said Lino Enrico Stoppani , President of FIPE-Confcommercio. ‘So, although we have recovered, perhaps not completely, but rather solidly, the pre- Covid levels of consumption, the impact of the sharp rise in bills and, albeit less intense, in ingredients, have severely tested the resilience of companies’ profit and loss accounts. Putting quality work back at the centre and rethinking business organisational models in terms of sustainability are the two cornerstones of a business strategy for the coming years. Catering is - and remains - an intersection between essential and substantial Made in Italy supply chains and community lifestyles; and its story contributes to giving a more solid point of reference to the country’s economy’. ITALIANS AND EATING OUT CGA by NielsenIQ, the leading consultancy company for measurement, analysis and research in the On Premise sector, has recently analysed how the current socio- economic context, marked by inflation and a substantial increase in the cost of living, is changing the behaviour of Italians in eating out. According to the latest data from OPUS (On Premise User Study), the periodic consumer survey by CGA by NIQ, almost two out of three people (62%) have experienced a significant increase in their spending, while more than half (52%) say they are spending more than before on eating and drinking outside the home. The analysis also shows that half of Italians have no intention of changing their eating out consumption habits. In fact, 36% of respondents will maintain the same budget over the next three months, 35% plan to spend more on eating and drinking out, while a fairly small group of people (16%) plan to go out more often than before. Frequenting bars and restaurants for 52% of respondents is considered a pleasure within their reach. In addition, 31% of Italian consumers admit that going out would remain a top priority, more important than others such as buying clothes (28%) and holidays (21%), if their financial means were reduced. According to the OPUS survey data, there are also some important differences in behaviour according to age and geographical location. Generally in the Bel Paese, young adults in urban areas are the category that intends to frequent bars and restaurants more often, unlike the over-55s. Another trend that emerged from the OPUS research by CGA by NielsenIQ concerns the relationship between frequency of eating out consumption and the respective expenditure. Here, quality and price play a key role; in fact, despite rising costs, well over half of consumers (57%) say they are still willing to pay more for a better quality drink. AT PAGE 16 FOCUS ON Foraging: Living off the land THE COLLECTION OF EDIBLE WILD HERBS IS AN ANCIENT AND MODERN PRACTICE THAT ALLOWS ONE TO GET TO KNOW ONE’S SURROUNDINGS IN DEPTH BUT ALSO TO RECONNECT WITH A WONDERFUL PROFESSION by Anna Muzio It is time for foraging. Foraging, as the practice of gathering wild edible herbs and plants is called in Italian, is an ancient custom that predates the introduction of agriculture and has always been practised in all regions of Italy. In the 2000s, chef René Redzepi made gathering herbs and lichens a flagship of his cuisine and his Noma was voted - coincidence? - the best restaurant in the world. So this largely disused custom took its English