Suburban cafes and restaurants are becoming increasingly popular as flexible work patterns normalise and CBD office buildings remain vacant, with new data showing customers on average spending more on food and drinks locally compared with city centres.

In the first half of 2025, businesses in suburban Sydney and Melbourne recorded higher on average food and beverage spends per customer according to transaction data from payment terminal provider Square.

In Sydney, the average spend per transaction at cafes, restaurants and bars was $14.52 at suburban businesses, but just $12.87 in the CBD. For Melbourne, the average spend on food and drink transactions was $15.15 in suburban cafes, higher than the $13.53 average in the city centre.

The same data also showed that in CBDs there’s a relian

See Full Page