Nearly three in five (58%) consumers ordered food for takeaway/home delivery in the month to 29 December 2020 – 6 January 2021. 37% did so more than once during the month, the highest level ever recorded in Mintel’s Leisure Tracker, which has been running since January 2016.

Consumers have developed new ingrained habits while foodservice brands that previously didn’t offer takeaway have launched this service by building new infrastructure or through partnering with aggregators. As a result, consumers will be offered far greater choice and restaurants will have a larger pool of consumers to target, even when a sit-down meal is a possibility again.

With the takeaway sector likely to gain a larger share of the foodservice market into the long-term, eating out will become more of a special occasion for many consumers. Meanwhile, with table service set to be enforced by government as long as the pandemic lingers, the act of dining out in a pub or casual restaurant will remain more formal than it was prior to COVID-19.

Pubs and restaurants should embrace this trend and see it as an opportunity to reach new demographics that are prepared to pay for an enhanced experience with a sense of occasion.

Whether it be to support in-person visiting or to replace it with virtual alternatives, leisure operators have rapidly enhanced their online services as a result of COVID-19. Levels of engagement with virtual leisure activities spiked as local and then national restrictions became tighter in December 2020 and early January 2021.

With many venues likely to be closed until at least early spring 2021, consumers will continue to find alternative ways to stay entertained. Venues such as pubs and restaurants could partner with musicians or comedians to offer virtual entertainment to those ordering takeaway food. Meanwhile visitor attractions could create learning resources for consumers to use at home, supported by livestreamed Q&A sessions.