About the market:

Despite considerable enhancements to the catering offer at many leisure venues, Mintel’s consumer research for this report has found that there is still scope for further improvements, mainly in terms of the value for money they provide but also in the area of offering healthier alternatives.

Food safety, quality and healthy eating are now key issues within the catering sector. Customers not only want to see a range of healthier options, but they are demanding additive- and preservative-free foods. Consumers also want caterers to be more transparent in disclosing the origins of ingredients. At the same time, busy lifestyles dictate the need to provide portable and convenient options, mainly in the form of ‘grab and go’ retail formats.

Mintel foresees that more leisure venue outlets will emulate high street concepts in the immediate future, with many leisure venue caterers developing in-house brands that match the unique needs and objectives of individual venues.

About Mintel’s research:

This report assesses the current status of the leisure venue catering market, identifies the main factors influencing demand and quantifies consumer behaviour and attitudes on the subject. Using the latest consumer research and market analysis, it offers you all the insight and inspiration your business needs to conduct intelligent and targeted marketing to grow your catering channel. Use Mintel’s research to:

Track the market’s size, trends, segmentation and supply structure

Analyse catering in bingo halls, night clubs, theatres, cinemas, zoos, theme parks, bowling alleys, museums and historic buildings

Identify the most popular types of leisure venues visited in the last 12 months and track visitors by media usage, supermarket usage and commercial TV viewing

Identify eating and drinking trends at these venues

Investigate consumer attitudes towards catering at leisure venues

Pin-point the market’s key target audiences and discover the marketing messages that will grab their attention

Intriguing findings:

Cost is the main bone of contention for consumers when it comes to buying food and drink from leisure venues, with a third of all adults saying it is too expensive.

Almost one in five leisure venue visitors usually take their own food with them, while one in six buy some food and drink but also bring some of their own.