Consumer behaviour within the eating out market is becoming increasingly polarised. People who are struggling financially are cutting back on visiting restaurants. Meanwhile more affluent consumers are eating out and ordering takeaways more often than a year ago.

However, it is the rise of the takeaway industry that has fuelled growth in the eating out sector, with more than a quarter of consumers now ordering a takeaway at least once a week. Much of this is driven by spontaneous behaviour, as the expansion of third party delivery apps has helped to make ordering takeaways a deeply ingrained habit that does not require much planning.

This does not mean that consumers are putting less thought into their choices. In fact, the quality of the food available is by far the biggest influencer when it comes to consumers’ decision-making process. Operators that strike the right balance by managing to offer high quality food at affordable prices will respond to consumers’ definition of value.

In this Report, Mintel analyses consumers’ decision-making process with regards to foodservice venues. The scope of this Report is the eating out-of-home (OOH) market within the UK, including ordering home delivery/takeaway.

This attitudinal Report explores eating out habits in terms of usage and frequency of visit, changes in usage, interest in menu features and potential opportunities around advanced technologies. The Report also examines selected initiatives by foodservice operators, such as product, venue development and marketing activities.