The president of the CAEB Restaurants Association, Alfonso Robledo, confesses his surprise at the high level of early bookings for businesses' Christmas lunches and dinners. "It has never happened before. It is unprecedented."
He admits that he doesn't know why this is, but whatever the reason it is excellent news for the island's restaurant trade, which is now taking bookings from late November rather than just in December.
The size of the groups, he says, varies depending on the business; prices per person typically range between 25 and 50 euros.
When it comes to families and friends, Robledo anticipates that a trend observable before the pandemic will be stronger this year - that of restaurants working on Christmas Eve. Traditionally, restaurants were closed on December 24 because people preferred to have their Christmas Eves at home. Demand for dining out is only a recent phenomenon and was particularly high last year. As for Christmas Day, it remains uncommon for restaurants to be open.
Reflecting on the current month, Robledo says that it has been good. Fine weather has encouraged people to eat out, while there appear to be more tourists than ever.