Average spend per head per visit was higher in December than any other month in the preceding year across all day parts, the latest data from M&C Allegra Foodservice’s Eating Out Panel has shown.
Breakfast showed the biggest growth, with average spend of £4.79 up 11% on last year. Spending at lunch increased 9% to £7.67 and at dinner the average was up by 8% to £17.39 per visit.
Participation, at 91.8%, was also up year-on-year although it did not reach the highs seen throughout the year.
Coffee shops/cafes remained the most popular channel for breakfast, accounting for 24% of the total, with fast food the second most popular channel and pub restaurants now accounting for 10% of breakfasts – up from 8% last year. The data showed fast food outlets dominate at lunch with a 17% share but this was down from 19% in December 2014. Pub restaurants and cafes both upped their share of visits in December – from 15% to 16% and 11% to 13% respectively. At dinner pub restaurants took 26% of trade – slightly up on last year but the lowest share of trade since May. Fast food was ranked as second at dinner but saw its share fall from 26% to 23%. Independent restaurants came third with 21% - down slightly on last year.
The panel reported that the full English continued to be the most popular breakfast dish with sandwiches king at lunch and chicken at dinner.
Having a treat and getting together with friends were the main reason to eat out while the quality of food was the main reason to choose an establishment at all day parts.
M&C Allegra Foodservice’s EatingOut Panel is a monthly tracker of consumer behaviour, perceptions and trends, providing the UK’s most accurate and insightful continuous dataset on eating out trends. The research is based on over 18,000 in-depth online interview per quarter and continuous surveys.
For more information contact Richard Hayman on richard.hayman@mcallegra-fs.com.
