The lockdown from March 14, 2020 marked the beginning of two years in which the pandemic has not managed to end the desire for fun of the Spanish, but it has Has changed leisure habits. “Afternoon” and reservations for lunch or dinner outside have become widespread, leaving little room for improvisation.
The successive time and capacity restrictions have led many citizens to want squeeze the afternoon having drinks since at night there was curfews. The same has happened with restaurant reservations, which have even been extended to bar terraces, pubs and nightclubs, and are made in advance.
Also appreciate a advance in the dinner schedule and cultural activities, especially in communities in the north of Spain, such as Euskadi and Galicia, although it is less evident in Andalusia and the Balearic Islandsthe four autonomies chosen as a sample.
Do you eat dinner earlier than in 2019?
At Basque Country the hoteliers are clear that now “people pick up earlier”, except in the case of the youngest, from 18 to 25 years. David Guibert, from the Le Comidare restaurant in San Sebastián, confirms that people “begin to fill the premises from 7:30 p.m.” to guarantee a table.
In Galicia, the president of Hospitality Compostela, Thor Rodríguez, explains that many venues have set closed hours both for lunch and dinner.
Andalusian restaurants did advance their schedules due to restrictions and it was necessary to have dinner at hours that were not usual in the south, but the president of the Andalusian Hospitality Federation, Javier Frutos, believes that if normality takes hold and the high season develops as planned, the schedules will return to be the usual.
On Balearic Islands, the president of PIMEM-Restoration, Eugèni Cusí, do not see significant changes in the schedules because he believes that they are conditioned by the work.
The ‘afternoon’ spreads
In many cities there was already the custom of lengthening meals by having drinks in the afternoon, but nighttime curfews led many to sign up for the “tardeo”one of the “most positive aspects” that the pandemic has consolidated, according to Basque hoteliers.
“For those of us who have children, the ‘afternoon’ allows us to eat with friends, make an eternal desktop and retire at a prudent hour to feel good the next day”, comments a client from Vitoria.
In Galicia, the vermouth on Saturdays has been consolidated and people now opt more for the “afternoon” than for having drinks at night, a trend that began before the pandemic, as confirmed by the Boneco bar in Santiago. In addition, its hoteliers see that now people stay longer in the same place instead of changing establishments, as was the case before.
As well on Andalusia they believe that the phenomenon of going out for drinks in the afternoon has increasedespecially among a middle-aged audience that is not so keen on staying up late at night.
In the Balearic Islands, the “afternoon” “became more animated” during the pandemic. “If I am not going to be able to be enjoying this way beyond twelve, I’m going to do it at the time they allow me”Cusi says.
More reservations and more in advance
Owners of Basque bars and restaurants such as Miguel Montorio, from Bodega Donostiarra, comment the “madness” that reserving a table has become.
In Galicia Thor Rodríguez admits that the avalanche of reserves forced many hoteliers to be “glued to the phone” so many hired switchboard services to manage them. In Galician restaurants, this change has been “very well received” because it allows for “more real supplies”, better sharing of work among the staff and closing “on time”.
“Before it was unthinkable to make reservations for terraces and now it is very common,” says the president of Hostelería Compostela, who adds that they are not only made by large groups, but even couples and also to access pubs or discos.
In Andalusia, the hoteliers are clear that there has been an increase in reservations for fear of running out of room.
In the Balearic Islands, where they calculate that between 20 or 30% of the 9,600 catering establishments have had to close, reservations have increased. As most are small businesses with 4 or 5 employees they have been forced to make an effort to make the leap to the digital world.
Earliest cultural programming?
On Euskadi the sessions of the municipal theaters have been advanced between half an hour and an houra change that has been very well received by the public, who now have “time to go out to dinner” and “extend the night”, say the Vitoria programmers.
“The convergence with European timetables it is an inexorable trend that has come to stay”, concludes the Director of Culture of Bilbao, Iñaki López.
In Galicia, the cultural sector has changed above all in two aspects: the public over 65 years has decreased and tickets for musical or theatrical performances are bought “at the last minute”.
In Andalusia, on the other hand, it does not seem that new schedules will be consolidated earlier. An example is the Cervantes theater in Malaga, which was forced to bring some cultural activities forward to 4:00 p.m. during curfews and has returned to pre-pandemic hours.
Also in the main stages of the Balearic Islands the schedules were modified. The performances began at 7:00 p.m. at the Principal Theater in Palma and at 18.00 on Sundays, but now they are back to normal.
For this reason, some changes will remain, but others, according to the sociologist María Silvestre, will experience a process similar to uncorking a bottle of cava after shaking it: there will be an explosion due to the need to celebrate, coexist and make up for lost time, especially among young people.