Spending on dining rises by more than 8% following Dry January rebound

The value of total card payments in February amounted to €8.1bn, down by 4% compared to the previous month

The monthly decline in Total Card Payments was predominately driven by a reduction in Domestic Card Payments, with their value falling by 4.4%

Suppressed demand underpinned by Dry January led to a significant rebound in restaurant and dining spending in February, latest figures from the Central Bank of Ireland show.

Publishing its monthly card payment statistics on Wednesday, the Central Bank said spending on restaurants and dining rose by 8.5% in February.