Tube Strikes Slash London Pub Revenues By 54%, As Hospitality Sector Faces Brunt Of Strike Action

This week’s Tube strikes have more than halved pub revenues across London, according to recent data.

Industrial action this week has contributed to a sharp drop in hospitality revenue across the capital, according to new data from frontline employee experience platform Harri.

Analysis of London-based hospitality businesses shows that, compared to last week:
• Total hospitality revenue is down 18% in the week-to-date, vs the same period last week.
• Pubs are the worst affected, losing over half (54%) of their weekly takings
• Quick service restaurants were also significantly impacted, falling 34%, while casual dining fell 14%, cafés fell 8% and fast casual restaurants fell by 4%

The impact is particularly pronounced on strike days. Pubs saw revenues fall 46% on Tuesday alone, compared to non-strike day averages, while cafés experienced a 26% drop, reflecting reduced footfall and more people working from home.

Dan Maimone, Head of Global Customer Experience at Harri, said: “Strike action has compounded the myriad of challenges already facing the hospitality sector. These figures are a big blow, particularly with more strike days planned. Supporting local pubs and hospitality venues on strike days has never been more important, and we’d encourage people to make every effort to visit and back their neighbourhood businesses where they can.”

While industry observers have said it’s too early to see the exact impact on businesses analysis of the impact of 31 days of tube strikes across 2023/2024 saw a 32 per cent fall in average sales for hospitality in Zone 1.

Coffee and sandwich shops saw a 34 per cent drop, sales dropped 38 per cent for pubs and bars, while restaurants experienced 29 per cent less custom.

Kate Nicholls, Chair of UKHospitality, said: “Tube strikes have a devastating impact on London’s hospitality businesses, with sales falling by up to 40 per cent on strike days. Commuter footfall is almost non-existent and families cancel plans to visit the capital.

“The cost of strikes can stretch into the millions – as we saw when strikes hit the sector a couple of years ago. It’s not just lost sales, but the impact on hospitality staff who can no longer get into work.

“I urge all parties to continue negotiations and reach a solution that averts these damaging strikes.”