As the year of 2026 approaches, restaurants in south China's Guangdong Province have witnessed a booking craze for New Year's Eve dinners, demonstrating the vigorous vitality and resilience of the local consumer market.
The year-end spending heat has swept over not only popular restaurants but also local specialty food stores.
At a bustling restaurant in Guangdong's capital city of Guangzhou, the front desk phone was seen ringing incessantly with reservation inquiries, while staff busily verify orders and confirm seating arrangements. In the kitchen, chefs have already begun prepping ingredients, fully prepared for the impending rush of customers.
"Reservations for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day have been completed, with booking rates up 50 percent compared to regular days. In addition to local residents and tourists from other provinces, many international guests have also made reservations in advance. The customer traffic on New Year's Eve is expected to increase by 30 percent to 40 percent over daily averages," said Huang Yue, a restaurant manager.
The convenient online reservation combined with attentive service at stores has made restaurants increasingly popular for celebrating special occasions. A New Year's Eve dinner has long transcended mere dining needs. It embodies people's hopes for welcoming the new, as well as their cherishing of moments spent with loved ones.
Industry insiders say that holiday spending is emerging as an important engine driving market growth.
"As the holiday draws near, people's enthusiasm for consumption at the turn of the year has kept surging. It is expected that on New Year's Eve, the sales of chain restaurants on our lifestyle service platform will reach a new peak. Compared with regular days, the dine-in consumption will increase by about 60 percent, while the order volume is anticipated to double compared to last year," said Yu Xiaowen, head of an online platform.
Guangdong restaurants witness booking craze for New Year’s Eve dinners
