2026 Q2 Hospitality Sales Snapshot

The 2026 Q2 Hospitality Sales Snapshot provides top line sales statistics on the hospitality industry.

In the second quarter of 2026 New Zealand’s hospitality sector recorded $4.02 billion in sales, marking 2.9 per cent year-on-year growth.

While hospitality sales increased in the second quarter of 2026 compared with the same period last year, growth was modest. Experiences varied considerably across businesses and regions, but rising fuel and food costs, continued pressure on household budgets and uncertainty caused by global events meant that, for many operators, conditions remained as challenging as they have ever been.

The café and restaurant sector overall continued stronger momentum, recording $2.01 billion in sales and growing 6.4 per cent year-on-year.

Regionally, revenue growth in the Manawatū-Whanganui region was the most significant for the 2nd quarter of 2026 vs the previous year. In dollar value, the region increased from $138.1 million sales in Q2 2025 to $159.7 million sales in Q2 2026. West Coast and Canterbury regions also recorded revenue growth of 15.4 and 9.8 per cent respectively over the same period in the previous year.

With data sourced from Statistics New Zealand and the Restaurant Association, the Q2 Report provides relevant data on the state of the hospitality industry.

Selected highlights:

• 4.0 billion total hospitality sales (+2.9%)
• $2.0 billion café and restaurant sales (+6.4%)
• 15.6% growth in Manawatu-Whanganui
• -1.0% decline in takeaway foodservice
• 50.0% of national sales generated in restaurants or cafes

The 2026 Q2 Hospitality Sales snapshot includes:

• Quarterly sales data by sector for Q2 2026 (restaurants & cafés; pubs, taverns & bars; catering; food to go; and clubs), showing sales trend over previous year and previous quarter
• Regional outlook for sales for Q2 covering the following regions:  Northland Region, Auckland Region, Waikato Region, Bay of Plenty Region, Gisborne Region, Hawke’s Bay Region, Taranaki Region, Manawatu-Wanganui Region, Wellington Region, West Coast Region, Tasman Region, Nelson Region, Marlborough Region, Kaikoura, Canterbury Region excl Kaikoura, Otago Region excl Queenstown-Lakes, Queenstown-Lakes, Southland Region

Restaurant Association members can download the full free electronic copy of the 2026 Q2 Hospitality Sales Snapshot here. 

If you are not a member of the Restaurant Association, the 2026 Q2 Report is available for purchase to the wider industry for $60.00 +gst. Let us know if you’d like to talk to one of our team about becoming a member, or click here for more information.