Greek restaurant owners are reeling as high HoReCa prices shove tourists straight to supermarket shelves for self-catering, with NielsenIQ data exposing a seismic shift: 23% now routinely fix their own breakfasts, 19% lunches and even 15% dinners across 14 tourist hotspots.
Tavernas lament fewer visitors, pointing to ”unaffordable” tabs amid inflation. Supermarkets lead meal-prep (45%), local grocers follow (42%), and discounters chains like Lidl claim 26%.
A whopping 94 percent of tourists bought grocery items, with bottled water showing the highest penetration at 82%, followed by beer at 41%. Most tourists consume what they buy either at their accommodation or on the go.
Even locals pile in as 60% of Greeks prep holiday breakfasts. NielsenIQ’s Eleni Pipiligka nails it: ”Tourists behave like temporary residents,” tossing detergent in baskets too. Chains eye tourist zones for growth as restaurants bleed turnover.
