ALMATY ( WNAM MONITORING): The Kazakh Bureau of National Statistics report shows that the country’s restaurant industry is expanding, with 55 new restaurants opening in the January-September 2025 period, the highest figure in seven years.
The number of new establishments has doubled, increasing 1.8 times, marking the sharpest growth since 2018. The total number of newly introduced seating places reached 16,200.
Analysts estimate that the average cost of one new seat reached 3.5 million tenge (approximately US$7,000), reflecting a 46% increase.
The overall investment in restaurant construction and renovation totaled 57 billion tenge (US$114 million) between January and September 2025.
Regional data show that the restaurant boom is most pronounced in the Turkistan region, which accounted for over 40% of all openings — 23 venues. It was followed by the Kyzylorda region, which hosted seven new venues, while the Atyrau region hosted five new openings.
Astana recorded just one new restaurant opening, yet it stood out with the highest average investment per seat — 12.3 million tenge (US$25,000). The restaurant accommodates 200 guests. Official statistics do not record any new restaurant openings in Almaty this year.
Kazakhstan’s café sector is also expanding at a record pace. Sixty-eight cafés were opened in the same period, offering 4,900 seats with a total investment of 11.7 billion tenge (US$23.4 million).
In total, Kazakhstan counted 2,400 restaurants with 339,100 seats, and 5,200 cafés with 293,400 seats, reflecting the steady post-pandemic recovery of the country’s hospitality sector.
