ALH, the nation’s largest pubs group, has a 40 per cent spike in Fathers Day bookings as patrons come back to the pub

Pub giant ALH is declaring the ‘pub is back’ with Fathers Day bookings up 40 per cent and it selling 1.2 kegs of beer a minute during the FIFA World Cup finals.

Pub giant ALH says Fathers Day bookings are up 40 per cent and it sold 1.2 kegs of beer a minute during the FIFA World Cup finals as patrons cheered on the Matildas. Picture: Tamati Smith/Getty Images

The nation’s largest pubs and hotels operator, Endeavour Group, has revealed record Father’s Day bookings for its venues on Sunday with 63,000 meals booked which is a huge uplift on the 45,000 bookings it had for Father’s Day in 2022.

Combined with a massive increase in activity at its pubs through the recent FIFA Women’s World Cup - with the Matildas effect seeing 1.2 kegs worth of beer sold every minute during the finals - and the liquor chain and hospitality is declaring ‘the pub is back’ after years of turmoil caused by Covid-19, lockdowns and social distancing.

And with the AFL and NRL finals about to begin it will likely give Endeavour a boost as it heads towards Christmas trading.

ALH, the pub arm of Endeavour which also owns retail stores Dan Murphy’s and BWS, said on Friday that at its more than 350 hotels across the country it was expecting to serve its guests around 16,000 chicken parmigianas, 15,000 steaks, 9,000 burgers and 5,000 roasts.

General manager of operations at ALH Hotels, Lukas McKay, said the team’s aim of creating pub experiences was resonating with people right across the country, especially as people seek out the best value for their social occasions.

“What we’re seeing is a real desire to come together for occasions - which is demonstrated by the number of bookings we’ve already seen for Father’s Day, and obviously live sport is a huge drawcard too,” Mr McKay said.

He said this was seen in the wave of enthusiasm and excitement seen around the performance of the Matildas at the recent World Cup as pubs, bars and hotels around Australia were crammed with fans as they cheered on the national team and downed plenty of beer.

“Momentum from the Women’s FIFA World Cup has continued even after the conclusion of the tournament, with the Matildas effect seeing 1.2 kegs worth of beer sold every minute in ALH Hotels during the semi-finals and final.

“The atmosphere hasn’t been so electric since the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Fans watch the Australia versus England Women's World Cup match at the Young and Jackson pub on Flinders Street in Melbourne. Picture: Diego Fedele/Getty Images

“September is upon us and so are the footy finals, as well as the Rugby World Cup in France, the Spring Racing carnival and hopefully some warmer weather, which means even more memorable moments, fantastic experiences and exceptional sociability.

“The atmosphere is what guests come back for, and importantly it’s what energises our 12,000-strong team to deliver the best hospitality in the business.

Endeavour, which was demerged from Woolworths in 2021 amid the depths of the pandemic when pubs, bars and restaurants were closed in many states, recently posted its full-year results that showed a continued rebound in its pub sales and earnings as lockdown and travel restrictions were cancelled.

Its hotels arm reported a 31 per cent increase in full-year sales to a record $1.979bn as earnings jumped 35.9 per cent to $428m. While its sales growth was supported by the relaxation of pandemic-related trading restrictions compared to the first half of the prior year, it also reflected a strong comparable sales growth of 9.2 per cent in the second half.

Fiscal 2023 was its first year of full operations since the pandemic.