Menu Trends - UK - January 2019

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Covered in this Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
Pressure mounts on the out-of-home sector
Companies and brands
Vegan options
New retail ranges
The consumer
Nine in 10 Brits eat out-of-home
Figure 1: Overall usage by dining occasions, October 2018
Most Brits are meat eaters
Figure 2: Correspondence analysis of meal occasions by food types, October 2018
Close link between low-calorie items and healthier dishes
Figure 3: Key menu trends, October 2018
A healthy balanced meal is a key trend for 2019
Figure 4: Attitudes towards menu trends, October 2018
Most have a negative view of vegan meals
Figure 5: Perceptions of vegan meals, October 2018
Provide information on nutrition, ingredients, and allergens
Figure 6: Interest in menu labelling, October 2018
Scope for restaurants to launch own-brand retail ranges
Figure 7: Interest in restaurant-branded products, October 2018
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
A healthy balanced meal is a key trend for 2019
The facts
The implications
Will operators lose custom by not catering for vegans?
The facts
The implications
Can restaurants launch own-brand retail ranges?
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Pressure mounts on the out-of-home sector
Healthy eating
Sustainability
Ethical trading
MARKET DRIVERS
Healthy eating
Calorie content reduction
Sugar reduction targets
Salt reduction targets
Clear labelling
Allergen information
Calorie information
Food hygiene information
Ethical trading
Pay
Figure 8: NMW and NLW rates
£30,000 salary cap on foreign workers
Tipping
Sustainability and environment
Waste
Animal welfare
Labour calls for foie gras ban
COMPANIES AND BRANDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Vegan options
New retail ranges
LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
Vegan options
Plant-based milk
Full dining experience
Meat-free stores
Meat-free food markets
New retail ranges
Figure 9: New restaurant-branded retail ranges
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
93% of Britons eat out-of-home
Most Brits are meat eaters
A healthy balanced meal is a key
Close link between low-calorie items and healthier dishes
Consumers are more likely to have a negative view of vegan meals
Provide information on nutrition, ingredients, and allergens
Scope for restaurants to launch own-brand retail ranges
PARTICIPATION IN EATING OUT
More than nine in 10 Brits eat out
Figure 10: Overall participation in eating out, October 2018
Lunch and dinner are the most common meal occasions
Figure 11: Overall usage by dining occasions, October 2018
Breakfast and brunch led by full-time workers and young families
FOOD TYPES BY MEAL OCCASION
Most Brits are meat eaters
Figure 12: Correspondence analysis of meal occasions by food types, October 2018
Figure 13: Correspondence analysis of meal occasions by food types, October 2018
Breads and cereals are breakfast mainstays
Figure 14: Breakfast food types, October 2018
Brunch is still a city-based dining occasion
Figure 15: Brunch food types, October 2018
Women eat a wide range of foods for lunch
Figure 16: Lunch food types, October 2018
Older dinners slant towards a paleo diet for dinner
Figure 17: Dinner food types, October 2018
KEY MENU TRENDS
Men lean on dishes with functional benefits
Figure 18: Key menu trends, October 2018
“Clean” eaters care about ethical sourcing
Figure 19: Key menu trends (any rank), by key menu trends (any rank), October 2018
Close link between low-calorie items and healthier dishes
ATTITUDES TOWARDS MENU TRENDS
Older diners will turn to staff for their expert knowledge
Figure 20: Attitudes towards menu trends, October 2018
Small-plates fail to grip Younger Millennials
More prefer their own meal than dishes designed to share
Ethically-sourced and all-natural vegan dishes preferred
Calorie-conscious diners will appreciate calorie labelling
Figure 21: Attitudes towards menu trends, by key menu trends (any rank), October 2018
More needs to be done to normalise eating edible food waste
Women who brunch most interested in a balanced meal – CHAID Analysis
Figure 22: Attitudes towards menu trends – CHAID – Tree output, October 2018
PERCEPTIONS OF VEGAN MEALS
Consumers are more likely to have a negative view of vegan meals
Figure 23: Perceptions of vegan meals, October 2018
City-dwellers want healthy convenience
One in four Brits link veganism to being ethical
INTEREST IN MENU LABELLING
Make a good start in providing information on nutrition, ingredients, and allergens
Figure 24: Interest in menu labelling, October 2018
Serving size information appeals to all
Figure 25: Nutrition information of a hot chocolate drink by Costa Coffee
Health claims appeal to busy city lives
Baby Boomers care most about provenance
INTEREST IN RESTAURANT-BRANDED PRODUCTS
More than half bought condiments or dressings...
Figure 26: Interest in restaurant-branded products, October 2018
…and more than half bought cooking sauces or marinades
Figure 27: Examples of restaurant-branded products launched in the UK
Almost half have bought seasonings or stocks…
Figure 28: Examples of chef-branded products launched in the UK
…and almost half have bought chilled or frozen ready meals
Figure 29: Examples of chef/restaurant-branded products launched in the UK
Further potential for branded fresh produce
Figure 30: Examples of chef-branded products launched in the UK
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS, AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
CHAID analysis methodology
Figure 31: Attitudes towards menu trends – CHAID – table output, October 2018
Correspondence analysis methodology
Methodology