Restaurants in London suburbs faring better than centre since reopening

Restaurants within London’s suburbs and commuter belt have bounced back more quickly since being allowed to reopen in July than those in the city centre.

Central London is in danger of becoming a ‘ghost town’

As reported by Eater London, dining out spending in districts such as Southall and East Ham has returned to pre-crisis levels while restaurant spend in central London was down 80% last month on the same time a year ago.

The suburban recovery can be put down to the fact that a large number of workers are continuing to work from home rather than their offices in the centre of town, which is driving down footfall at restaurants in the heart of the capital.

Compounding the problem is the significant drop in tourism, which is also affecting restaurant spend, with mayor Sadiq Khan warning that central London was in danger of becoming a “ghost town”.

According to Eater, use of the London Underground in July was 70% below normal levels, despite an increase in services across the network.

The report, which included transaction data supplied by credit card company Mastercard, found that year on year spending in some suburban areas had increased.

Restaurant owners in central London are imploring the government for targeted support to help them bounce back, including incentives for public transport use.