Customisable dishes are growing significantly in popularity across chain restaurant, pub and bar menus – and they are also enabling operators to charge a premium, according to Lumina Intelligence.
In its new Food and Menu Trends Report 2022, Lumina found that there has been a 20-percentage point (ppt) increase in the share of dishes that are customisable over the past three years.
On average, 38.1% of restaurant dishes were customisable on spring/summer menus this year, compared to 15.9% in spring/summer 2019, while 30.1% of pub/bar dishes were customisable, compared to 10.3% three years previously.
While variations on dishes can present challenges for operators, especially with struggles around recruitment, these are being reflected in the price point of dishes, said Lumina, with customisable dishes +28% more expensive than the average dish.
This increase is up from the +17% price premium recorded in 2019.
“Customisation allows operators to keep menus streamlined whilst offering choice to customers. It also keeps base prices low and accessible, while offering premiumisation and ‘trade up’ options to drive trip spend and allow customers to treat themselves,” said Lumina in the report.
The report also found that the total proportion of dishes containing meat has fallen by 3ppts between 2019 and 2022, while the average calorie count of a dish has fallen by 2.4% between May and October this year.
