Tough times don't stop Spaniards from eating and drinking out

A new study has revealed that the economic turbulence of recent years hasn’t dissuaded Spaniards from eating and drinking out, something that for many foreigners in Spain will confirm long-held notions of Spaniards and Spanish lifestyle. Eight out of ten report continue consumption in bars despite post-pandemic and inflationary pressures on spending, the figures show.

Bars in Spain are a way of life. The country has among the most bars per capita anywhere in the world, and they serve all cross sections of society at all times of day, from an early-morning coffee to a late-night cocktail.

READ ALSO: Which Spanish city has the most bars per inhabitant?

They are social gathering destinations and, in many cases, function as sort of community living rooms for local neighbours from the barrio. Meeting up with a few friends and sitting outside after work, or before work, or at lunch, or for a mid-morning coffee, is about as Spanish as it gets. Bar terraces across Spain are filled with locals having a drink and complaining about how broke they are.

For that reason, many Spaniards seem to live as though their coffees, cocktails and cañas (and the socialising that comes with them) are already baked in their monthly budgets. It also speaks to the laid back Spanish lifestyle and mañana attitude to life that so many of us love -- enjoy now, think about it later.

But now new data seems to support this theory.

According to a sectoral study from employers' association AECOC, eight out of ten Spaniards continue to consume in bars and restaurants and almost two-thirds (63 percent) say they do so as much or more than before.

This is despite the global economic instability of the post-pandemic years, with conflicts and tariffs putting inflationary pressures on consumers around the world. Government figures showed recently that mid-scale salaries in Spain haven't kept up with the rapid rise of the minimum wage, meaning that over the past five years the most frequent annual earnings in Spain are just €450 above the legal minimum.

READ ALSO: Salaries close to the minimum wage are now the most common in Spain

Despite that and rising prices across the board, 33 percent said they will still increase their spending in bars compared to 2024, and almost half (45 percent) of respondents said they’ve maintained their expenses.

However, it does depend somewhat on how you interpret the figures. This is clear in the different coverage in the Spanish press. One website points to the fact that, even though spending has remained strong, almost 70 percent of Spaniards are reluctant to spend more on hospitality and over a third have reduced their visits overall.

Twenty-two percent of respondents stated that they have tightened their belts because of the economic situation at home. This leads consumers to seek what AECOC analysts term ‘cost control measures’ such as searching out fixed-menu offers like the menú del día (60 percent), going at off-peak times to benefit from cheaper prices (56 percent) or opting for smaller menus, for example without dessert or with just one dish (40 percent of respondents).

READ ALSO: Is Spain's beloved 'menú del día' at risk of disappearing?

There’s also a generational divide here. According to the AECOC study, those that say they most enjoy consuming in bars are members of Gen Z (18-29 years old), with 51 percent stating that despite high prices, they will continue to go to bars to escape from everyday life.

In the case of millennials the percentage drops slightly to 50 percent while for Gen X (45-60 years old) it falls to 44 percent and for baby boomers (61-70 years old) it plummets to 39 percent.

That Gen Z respondents were the most likely to splurge in bars, despite the structural forces making working and financial life difficult for them, suggests younger Spaniards may subscribe to what Spanish daily El País has called a generational “financial nihilism” as evidenced by increasingly risky investments in platforms like cryptocurrency.