On premise operators' eyes will be smiling, CGA by NIQ says, on St. Patrick's Day.  That's because the patron saint of Ireland, who brought Christianity to the Emerald Isle, will be bringing increased sales to operators of bars, clubs, restaurants and other on-premise locations.

CGA’s latest US On Premise Impact Report, which surveys around 1,600 On Premise visitors across Florida, Texas, California, and New York finds 33% of consumers planning to celebrate it in hospitality venues, with this increasing to 47% for younger consumers (aged 21-34). Last year, St Patrick’s Day landed on a Thursday, and saw an uplift of +5% versus the average Thursday of 2022 – driven by an uplift in traffic (+12%), although check value was down slightly vs average.

consumers expect to be drinking Beer on the Shamrock-themed occasion, however Whiskey (34%) and Vodka (26%) also prove popular for St Patrick’s Day revellers. Given the popularity of a certain Irish stout, it’s no surprise to see that BeverageTrak data reveals an uplift in imported beer (25%) on St Patrick’s Day 2022, while Craft (8%), Domestic premium (16%) and Super Premium (22%) also benefit from an uplift. The data also confirms that Whiskey will likely see an uplift, with velocity up +25% versus the average in 2022.

A third of consumers are planning to visit Neighborhood bars, followed by Sports bars (29%), and unsurprisingly – Irish pubs (27%). In 2022, BeverageTrak highlights that drinking outlets saw an increase in traffic, resulting in velocity up +44% versus the average Thursday of the year – with Irish pubs experiencing velocity uplifts of +252% vs the average, making it the most valuable day of the year for this venue type. Within Irish pubs, Beer, Wine and Spirits all saw a triple-digit uplift, with Beer experiencing the greatest increase versus the average Thursday.

Across the key US states, in 2022 Florida saw the greatest velocity and biggest uplift versus the average Thursday (+23%), while in Illinois, Chicago saw the largest uplift on the day of the St Patrick’s Day Parade (Saturday March 12), rather than on the day itself resulting in an +14% increase versus the average Saturday, with traffic up +47%.

Andrew Hummel, client solutions director – North America, said: "St Patrick’s Day is one of the biggest days of the year for the On Premise, and our research highlights that it’s not just Beer that wins on this day of celebration – there’s opportunities for Spirits and even Wine within certain channels.”