New research commissioned by Smith’s reveals Australians are embracing more relaxed, connection-first entertaining, as the iconic brand celebrates 95 years of bringing people together.

The research has found that almost half (47%) of hosts agree that hosting at home has become their new normal and something they do more often than going out.

Australian hosts are prioritising keeping costs down (19%), sharing quality ingredients (15%) and convenience (15%) ahead of experimenting. Only 5% of Australians said trying a new recipe was their top hosting priority.

The shift extends beyond the dinner table. Nearly one-third of Aussie hosts (31%) say they are less focused on impressing people and more focused on keeping things easy than they were five years ago, while 44% now prefer smaller, more intimate gatherings.

Katherine Twomey, Senior Marketing Manager at PepsiCo ANZ says Australians are taking the pressure off hosting.

“People are swapping perfectly curated tables for more relaxed get-togethers where everyone feels comfortable, and that’s creating more opportunities to connect,” she said.

“For 95 years, Smith’s has been part of those moments – from family celebrations to spontaneous catch-ups – and while the way we host has evolved, the simple joy of sharing good food with good company hasn’t changed.”

Hosting faux pas haven’t disappeared

Despite the rise of relaxed entertaining, only 15% of Australians genuinely bring nothing when a host tells them not to bring anything. Instead, one-third (33%) bring something because they don’t want to be the only person not contributing, 30% arrive with something casual like a bag of potato chips, and 23% bring something homemade to impress everyone.

Australians also have strong opinions about other etiquettes – and those views vary by generation.

Among Baby Boomers, financial transgressions are of most concern, with 63% considering it a faux pas to ask for money at a gathering, compared with just 39% of Gen Z, who view this far more casually.

Meanwhile, 52% of Gen X and 56% of Baby Boomers take a strong stance on double-dipping. Perhaps most telling of all, 60% of Baby Boomers consider licking your fingers after eating chips from a shared bowl to be poor form, followed closely by Gen X (57%) and Millennials (46%).