The mobile application that allows users to view menus and make payments using QR codes in dining establishments may be expanded to encompass the entire service industry, according to Oleg Gorokhovsky, co-founder of monobank.
“We initially developed this service for the food service sector, but the QR code selection of services and subsequent payments can be applied in other areas as well, such as spas or hair salons; it just needs to be slightly adapted to fit their specific needs,” Gorokhovsky stated at the SALT (SІЛЬ) restaurant innovation conference in Kyiv on Monday.
According to analytics from Expirenza by mono, the number of food establishments connected to the platform has more than doubled since the start of the war, rising from 7,420 in January 2022 to 16,400 in September 2024. Yaremche leads in the growth of establishments, guests, and expenditures, with the number of establishments increasing by 161% from 2021 to 2024, serving 217% more guests, and revenues rising by 369%. The top five also includes Kamianets-Podilskyi, Mukachevo, Uzhhorod, and Ivano-Frankivsk.
As expected, the number of establishments and guests in frontline cities has decreased. The most significant drop was in Kherson, where the number of establishments fell by 78%, the number of served guests by 81%, and revenue by 87%. The five cities with the greatest decline in activity are Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv.
The average bill across the country increased from 522 UAH in 2021 to 643 UAH in 2024. As of September 2024, the average bill in cafes/fast food was 135 UAH, while for delivery it was 815 UAH.
Trends during wartime show that a significant number of new food establishments are opening outside major city limits, and bills are increasingly being paid by women rather than men. In 2021, 59% of bills were paid by men, whereas in September 2024, women accounted for 51% of the bills.