We're now nearly a week into 2021, but it still feels like 2020 as far as the on-premise is concerned. As the interwebs put it, the clock didn't hit midnight on December 31, 2020 - it just turned to 11:60 pm.
Indeed, the New Year's holiday weekend (December 31 to January 3) provided little to no help to the struggling on-premise.
In fact, data suggests that trends in the channel actually got worse over the holiday weekend.
BeerBoard pegged the on-premise open rate over the weekend at 80%, marking "the fifth consecutive period of decline for open rate" and the lowest open rate recorded since mid-June.
Then too, volume "took a tumble" over the holiday weekend.
National volume was down 19% versus the previous tracked weekend (December 18-20), and down nearly 46% versus the same holiday stretch in 2019.
Of the ten states tracked in the data, nine of them saw double-digit declines in volume over the previous weekend (December 18-20), the lone exception being Nevada, down 1.9%. But it was still a dreary holiday weekend in Nevada compared to last year, down 46%.
When will we start to see some respite in the on-premise? Is it wishful thinking to think things may come full circle and head back to a new normal by St. Patrick's Day? One would hope, but we shall see
