Figures released by the Wellington City Council have shown that 48 eateries opened or changed ownership in 2017, much to the delight of the local hospitality industry – almost one a week.
"A lot of that has been driven either by buildings being renovated, or new buildings popping up," said local head of Hospitality New Zealand Jeremy Smith. "The trend that's going crazy is the craft brew bars ... I know of six, possibly seven, new ventures in terms of craft brew bars opening up in Wellington, and there may be a few more."
However, Statistics New Zealand estimates just over half of any new hospitality ventures will survive for three years, with slightly over half of those remaining sticking it out for a decade. Despite this, the number of openings has outstripped the number of closings over the last year.
The council figures show that Wellington has 850 hospitality outlets – one for every 240 people. New York has one for every 340.
