Fast food occupies half Russian catering market: According to the results of January-October 2019, catering accounted for 51% of Russians spending on catering, Kommersant reports citing an NPD Group study. In annual terms, growth was 17%.

At the same time, expenses for traditional restaurants decreased by 11% during this period. Now their share is only 23% of the total. Coffee houses account for 5%, and canteens for 8% of the market. According to NPD estimates, the remaining segments of food service (grocery stores, vending, hotels, bars) account for 13%.

According to Rosstat, the entire volume of the Russian catering market for 10 months of 2019 amounted to 1.3 trillion rubles, demonstrating an increase of 4.7%.

As Vesti. Economics previously wrote, the fast food market in Russia is steadily gaining momentum. So, only in the IV quarter of 2018, the number of visitors to fast food establishments according to the Romir holding increased by 16.7% in annual terms.

Fast food occupies half Russian catering market

In general, Russians increasingly prefer to eat out. The NPD calls this one of the important trends in the catering market. For 10 months of 2019, cafes were visited more often by 5.6%. Part of the growth driver was caffeine. Up to 18% of coffee orders from January to October 2019 were made impulsively, analysts say, and coffee houses straddled the wave.

In addition, analysts note the rapid growth of the delivery segment, which in Russia is practically divided between Yandex.Food and Delivery Club (owned by Mail.ru Group). As the study showed, over the past year it has grown three times faster than the market and reached 7.6% in the cost of food outside the home. In addition, other companies providing it with their own resources also noted the growth in revenue from delivery.

The competition of young readers "Living Classics" for nine years has opened up for students the opportunity to show their abilities. Many guys perform more than once and, without losing hope, try themselves again and again. In the end, many manage to reach victory at the regional level and go to Artek for the All-Russian final. Vladimir Dubkov, the regional finalist of 2019, talks about his difficult path.

Olga NOVIKOVA

- How did you find out about the Live Classics contest?

- For the first time I heard about the competition a long time ago, back in 2015, when I was in the 7th grade. My teacher of Russian language and literature, Nadezhda Starodubtseva, spoke about Living Classics and offered to take part. At first, I resisted, but then I got involved and, over time, I applied for this and other competitions myself. The path to victory was long and thorny. Sometimes it seemed to me that failure was haunting me at every turn, but I did not give up, and, as you can see, I finally managed to win!

- Which work did you choose and why?

- Frankly, I went through a lot of texts from various authors, but still could not decide. My choice in oratory, Gennady Dmitrievich Matyukhin, helped me with the choice of a work. And this happened quite by accident. He invited me to speak at the interregional competition of readers, which was dedicated to the memory of Vasily Ivanovich Shukshin. For this competition, it was necessary to choose the appropriate work. And he invited me to speak with the story "Uncle Yermolai." This work unexpectedly sunk into my soul, and that's why I decided to speak with him at the competition of readers "Living Classics".

- Which stage was the most difficult for you?

- All stages are equally difficult. Of course, there wasn’t something that could not be dealt with, but the most difficult thing was to deal with excitement. I have one bad trait: I often worry before going on stage. And although the audience greets you with loud applause, and the jury smiles good-naturedly, looking at you, I still get scared.

- What do you think helped you win?

- I do not know. I myself was very surprised at my victory. Maybe our family mascot helped me - a magic bag that I always take with me to performances? But to be honest, the support of my relatives and friends helped me. They always believed in me, and this gave me enough strength to become a winner in the competition.

- What did you expect from the contest?

- I wanted to meet new interesting people, get my portion of experience, try to realize myself ... You can say, I got everything I wanted.

- Your impressions of Artek? What is the most memorable thing?

- In “Artek” I remember absolutely everything! This is nature, and the Black Sea, and air, and mountains. And also people! What amazing people were there! Our detachment was probably inscribed in the chronicles of the camp as the most united and friendly. When I arrived there, I immediately fit into the team. It felt like we were all friends from birth. On the day of departure, even the guys had to give free rein to their feelings. I’ve never seen anything like this anywhere else ...

- What do you do in your free time?

“I just love reading books.” I read day and night. Not a day has passed before I have read at least a couple of pages from a book or magazine. I also like to play volleyball and attend a dance club.

Do you take part in other competitions?