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EAT PAY LOVE HOSPITALITY REPORT 2025

How Aussies are eating, drinking and spending – and what this means for small businesses in 2025.

Jump to: Key findings Insights About this report

Eat Pay Love Overview

This year, cost-of-living pressures are clearly reshaping spending habits. Nearly half of Australians have adjusted their alcohol consumption due to rising costs, with one in ten cutting alcohol altogether. Beyond drinking, more than half are now comparing prices, delaying non-essential purchases, or hunting for discounts.

Price sensitivity is high, but there’s some movement at the top end. While $5.50 is the average ceiling for a takeaway coffee, and $8.80 for a beer or wine, a notable share of Australians are still willing to pay more – especially for alcohol, where the average acceptable price has increased by 7.3% since June 2024. Interestingly, Gen Z are willing to pay $11 for beer compared to Baby Boomers who cap spending at $7.80.

Australians are increasingly staying in – but that’s not free. Staying home costs Australians an average of $90.36 per week, with almost half keeping it under $50. And, although consumers and small businesses are split on the issue of public holiday surcharging, Australians told us they would be more favourable to the idea of paying more if meant their local wouldn’t close while they’re on holidays.

Read on to find out more insights from our 2025 Eat Pay Love survey.

Key findings

49% of Aussies have adjusted their drinking habits due to cost of living.

35% of Aussies said they are less likely to buy a round of drinks for friends now vs a year ago.

67% of Aussies never tip. Of those who do tip, 14% are tipping less.

39% of businesses would close on public holidays if holiday surcharging was banned.

75% of small business owners are confident that their business will be successful in the next year.

Nearly 80% of hospitality operators expect the price of a coffee to rise to between $6 and $7.

74% expect a local schooner of beer to rise to over $10 by the end of 2025.

Insights

25% of small business owners would consider raising prices if card surcharging was banned 

Only two in ten Aussies are happy to pay a card surcharge, even if it means keeping their local open.

49% of Aussies said they have adjusted their drinking habits over the past 12 months

Due to cost-of-living pressures.

The Espresso Martini has come out on top as the most ordered drink over the past 5 years

The top 5 most ordered food and drink

Over the past 5 years.

Drink

1. Espresso Martini
2. Corona
3. Aperol Spritz
4. Margarita
5. Stone & Wood Pacific Ale Pint

Food

1. Chicken Schnitzel
2. Chicken Parmigana
3. Steak Sandwich
4. Margherita Pizza
5. Fish & Chips

More millennials, than any other generation, said they’d use a QR code to order drinks to avoid a ‘shout’

Those who say they have used QR codes to avoid ‘shouting’ a friend:

42% Millennials
38% Gen Z
37% Gen X
33% Baby Boomer

More than a quarter (27%) of Aussie consumers said they would be more accepting of a holiday surcharge if they knew it was helping businesses stay open

43% dislike the public holiday surcharge while still accepting its necessity.

32% said they strongly dislike it and try to avoid venues that have a public holiday or weekend surcharge.

“Holiday surcharging isn’t about making a profit, it’s about ensuring I can pay my hardworking staff their wages… I also want to provide visitors and locals with somewhere to go. If we don’t on-charge our extra wage costs, we’d have to close.”

– Beau Baddock, Owner of Agrestic Grocer and Café in Orange, NSW.

Gen Z and Baby Boomers represent over 50% of those willing to pay holiday surcharges to keep their local open

Of those who said they are willing to pay a public holiday surcharge to support their local – only 19% of Millennials said they would be happy to pay extra.

More than a third (39%) of small businesses would stop weekend/public holiday trading if surcharging was banned

8% said that they would have to close their business if it was banned, as weekend and public holiday trade are essential to their revenue.

Two thirds of Aussies claim to never tip – that’s 12% more than last year

Of those who do tip, 14% say they are tipping less.

On average Aussies are happy to pay more for beer and wine, but not coffee

The average Aussie is willing to pay $8.80 for a beer/wine – a 7.3% increase since June 2024.

While $5.50 remains the average amount they’re happy to pay for a takeaway coffee.

But, what Aussies are willing to pay is split across generations

Gen Z are happy to pay $6.90 for a takeaway coffee and $11 for a beer.

The most Millennials would pay is $5.70 for a coffee and $9 for a beer.

Gen X draw the line at $5.10 for a coffee and $8.50 for a beer.

Baby Boomers set their limit at $5 for coffee and $7.80 for beer.

More than half of Aussie small business owners are worried about ongoing inflation and reduced customer spending

Rising interest rates are a concern for 28%.

Three in four small business owners are confident that their business will be successful in the next year.

About this report

  • Female: 49%
    Male: 51%

  • 18-24 years: 12%
    25-34 years: 16%
    35-44 years: 13%
    45-54 years: 15%
    55-64 years: 14%
    65+ years: 29%

  • Gen Z: 18%
    Millennial: 24%
    Gen X: 24%
    Boomer: 32%
    Silent Generation: 3%

  • NSW: 31%
    VIC: 25%
    QLD: 21%
    WA: 11%
    SA: 8%
    TAS: 2%
    ACT: 2%
    NT: 1%

  • Female: 47%
    Male: 53%

  • 18-24 years: 6%
    25-34 years: 20%
    35-44 years: 21%
    45-54 years: 17%
    55-64 years: 17%
    65+ years: 19%

  • Gen Z: 12%
    Millennial: 35%
    Gen X: 27%
    Boomer: 24%
    Silent Generation: 2%

  • NSW: 33%
    VIC: 30%
    QLD: 18%
    WA: 8%
    SA: 7%
    TAS: 3%
    ACT: 1%
    NT: 0%

  • Eat Pay Love is an annual hospitality insights survey conducted by Tyro. 1,549 Australians were surveyed, consisting of 541 small business owners and 1008 consumers via research agency Antenna. The survey was conducted in May 2025. The survey data collection was national, and respondents were sourced using an accredited online research access panel. Data was weighted for representation against the 2021 ABS Census.