Table of Contents
Overview
-
- What you need to know
- Topics covered in this Report
Executive Summary
-
- The market
- UK eating out operators face rising costs in 2017
- Consumer crutch holding up pub sector
- Key players
- Pret creates zones and expands Veggie format
- Pizza Hut’s impactful Twitter campaign
- Greggs uses Balanced Choice to expand into new markets
- The consumer
- Eating out is a rare treat
-
- Figure 1: Frequency of eating out or ordering takeaways/home deliveries, May 2017
- Important factors when eating in
-
- Figure 2: Factors influencing choice of venue when eating out/ordering a takeaway/home delivery, May 2017
- Seating preferences when eating in
-
- Figure 3: Preference for type of seating arrangement, May 2017
- Influence of marketing on consumer behaviour
-
- Figure 4: Influence of marketing on eating out behaviours, May 2017
- Menu features that drive interest
-
- Figure 5: Menu features that drive interest, May 2017
- What we think
Issues and Insights
-
- More can be done to nudge people towards healthy choices
- The facts
- The implications
- Create dishes according to people's preferred seating
- The facts
- The implications
- It's important to encourage over-45s to eat out more
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
-
- Eating out operators face rising costs in 2017
- Consumer crutch holding up eating out sector
Market Drivers
-
- Dining out remains a key discretionary spending area
-
- Figure 6: Selected consumer spending priorities (after bills), November 2009-May 2017
- Britain’s ageing population
-
- Figure 7: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2011-16 and 2016-21
- Smartphone ownership is peaking
-
- Figure 8: Ownership of mobile phones, January 2012-December 2016
- Hospitality recruitment at its most difficult
- Apprenticeship levy comes into force in April 2017
- Pizza Hut Restaurants offers full range of apprenticeships
- Fine dining restaurants cut back opening hours
- Rising costs on the cards for food operators in 2017
- Business rates
- Rising inflation and the weakened Pound
- National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage
Key Players – What You Need to Know
-
- Tossed offers further customisation
- Pret A Manger creates zones
- Pizza Hut gives away free food
- Greggs pushes Balanced Choice into new markets
Launch Activity and Innovation
-
- Refreshing classic British dishes
- Stoke House refreshes carvery concept
- Claude Bosi introduces set menus and trolleys
- Square Pie launches ‘pick ‘n’ mix’ pie bar
- Using customisation to highlight special diets
- Tossed lets diners filter menu options
- Chipotle suggests ingredient combinations
- Restaurant designs hit the home
- Manor-style lounge design
- Quick-service quiet zones
- Using freebies to increase footfall
- #WakeUpToOrganic raises awareness
- My Prosecco Bar increases dwell time
- Posting on Twitter in exchange for free food
- Young’s uses app to boost customer loyalty
- Additional revenue stream from gift card schemes
- Healthy eating formats scaling up
- Greggs eyes expansion in hospitals
- Pret pushes veggie formats further
- Restaurant-with-rooms concept gains traction
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Young people and families are frequent diners
- Potential to cater for special occasions
- Are fast food diners becoming too reliant on technology?
- People are eating on sofas
- Understanding diners' behaviour towards marketing
- Potential to use customisation to drive menu interest
Frequency of Eating Out
-
- Eating out is a rare treat for most
- Family time drives uptake
- Over-45s dine out less frequently
-
- Figure 9: Frequency of eating out or ordering takeaways/home deliveries, May 2017
- Under-45s order takeaway frequently…
- …but that doesn’t mean that they should have to abandon dining out
Factors Influencing Choice of Restaurant
-
- Diners more likely to travel for a special-occasion meal
- Diners value quality of food more than special offers
-
- Figure 10: Factors influencing choice of venue when eating out/ordering a takeaway/home delivery, May 2017
- Special-occasion diners prefer to take it slow
- Scope for restaurant venues to create space to hang out after a meal
- Potential to attract families to dine at restaurant venues for special occasions
-
- Figure 11: Factors influencing choice of venue when eating in, by any eating in restaurant venues, May 2017
- Important for fast food outlets to offer friendly and quick customer service
- Free Wi-Fi can attract everyday diners to visit fast food outlets
-
- Figure 12: Factors influencing choice of venue for eating in, by any eating in at fast food outlets, May 2017
Seating Preferences
-
- Lounge seating appeals to most diners
- When dining with young children…
- …those who eat out with friends…
- …and amongst couples
- Counter seats can attract more solo diners
-
- Figure 13: Preference for type of seating arrangement, May 2017
- Bistro-style seating appeals to young couples
-
- Figure 14: Preference for type of seating arrangement when dining alone, by any eating in restaurant venues, May 2017
- Communal seating can attract diners with young children
-
- Figure 15: MOD Pizza, Leicester Square, London
- Figure 16: Preference for type of seating arrangement, by any eating in at fast food outlets, May 2017
Behaviours Relating to Marketing
-
- Diners prefer everyday low prices to loyalty cards
- Potential for gift cards to drive footfall
- Diners like venues that take discount cards
-
- Figure 17: Behaviours towards restaurants, May 2017
- Quiet zones appeal to solo diners at fast food outlets…
-
- Figure 18: Influence of marketing on eating out behaviours, by any eating in at fast food outlets, May 2017
- …and restaurant venues
-
- Figure 19: Influence of marketing on eating out behaviours, by any eating in restaurant venues, May 2017
- Fast food outlet diners “check-in” on social media
- Fast food diners have used apps that update them with free gifts
- Fast food diners turn to the internet for special offers
-
- Figure 20: Influence of marketing on eating out behaviours, by any eating in at fast food outlets, May 2017
- Most diners have used paper vouchers
- Potential for restaurants to increase e-marketing activities
-
- Figure 21: Influence of marketing on eating out behaviours, by any eating in restaurant venues, May 2017
Menu Interest
-
- Potential to ramp up vegetable portions
- Students and young women enjoy customisable dishes
-
- Figure 22: Menu features that drive interest, May 2017
- Scope for restaurants to create “feelgood” dishes
-
- Figure 23: Menu features that drive interest, by any eating in restaurant venues, May 2017
- Fast food diners are interested in calories on menus
- Potential for sandwich shops to sell specials using edible food waste
-
- Figure 24: Interest in menu features, by any eating in at fast food outlets, May 2017
- Interest in smaller portions of classic British dishes
-
- Figure 25: Menu features that drive interest, by any eating in restaurant venues, May 2017
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
-
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
Back to top