As the National Day holiday begins, a combination of travel, family visits, and gatherings with relatives and friends has pushed restaurant spending to heat up ahead of schedule.

Jiupai News Financial Reporter learned from Haidilao that reservations at its nationwide outlets on October 1 rose 35% compared with the same period last year.

In terms of timing, consumers tend to lock in the first half of the holiday in advance, with reservations from October 1 to 3 accounting for 74.1% of the total, of which the first day alone made up 40% of all holiday bookings.

Group dining is a standout feature of this year's National Day reservations, with more than 80% of bookings for tables of 4 to 8 people and tables for 10 or more accounting for over 10%.

Demand for private rooms is also rising, with nearly one in every five customers making a reservation choosing a private room. Many outlets had already fully booked their private rooms for the dinner rush on the first day of the holiday.

The travel boom has had a notable effect in driving restaurant spending. With three working days falling between this year's Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day, some consumers extended their time off to begin cross-city trips early, and outlets near popular tourist cities and transportation hubs saw a clear increase in out-of-town customers.

A manager at one outlet of the brand said holiday reservations are usually two to three times those on regular days, and this year medium and large tables for the first day of National Day were fully booked two days in advance.

For tourists arriving with luggage, the outlet helps store their bags and simply cleans and disinfects their suitcases, while also preparing small gifts such as foot bath salts and city-themed refrigerator magnets. Sometimes fruit and snacks are packed for customers to take with them while sightseeing.

In line with group dining occasions, sales of the hot pot chain's autumn new product, the "Lotus Root Boss · Honghu Lotus Root Soup" broth, have continued to grow, with cumulative sales exceeding 1 million servings since its launch.

The broth uses Honghu pink lotus root and follows a style of drinking the soup first before cooking ingredients, making it suitable for families and friends to share around the table.

On the evening of September 30, Mr. Lin, who works in Beijing, went with friends to try the lotus root soup broth. Mr. Lin once studied at university in Wuhan and has always liked Hubei cuisine, and he said the lotus root soup broth was very delicious and that he was very satisfied.

The lotus root soup broth (top right). Photo provided by the interviewee.

Industry insiders pointed out that family gatherings, meetings with friends, and dining during travel have together driven tables for larger groups, private rooms, and dinner time slots to heat up first, and dining is becoming an important setting for capturing holiday spending.