The frequency of eating out in the UK has hit its lowest level since the summer of 2010 on the back of inflationary pressures.
According to the latest Zolfo Cooper Leisure Wallet, consumers are currently visiting restaurants 2.4 times per month, versus 2.6 last year. The shift equates to just over two whole visits less per year.
Since the research began (this is the fifth wave of the study) the monthly visit frequency figure has fluctuated between 2.4 and 2.7 times.
The survey found that 18-34-year-olds have the biggest appetite for eating out, visiting restaurants 2.7 times per month, although this is down from 2.9 times in last year. This compares to 2.4 times a month for 35-54-year-olds (exactly in line with the overall national average), which has ticked up from 2.3 times in 2011.
The over 55s that took part in the study reported a drop in visits, 2.3 times per month against 2.6 times previously, which equates to almost four visits less per year.
Londoners visit restaurants 3.6 times per month, more than an additional visit per month above the national average. However, even Londoners have tempered their visits since last year, with frequency of visit per month falling from 3.9 times in 2011.
The report said: “This may be a hangover from London 2012 as the timing of the Leisure Wallet Report field research was shortly after the conclusion of the Paralympic Games, and came after a summer when Londoners were perhaps more likely to be watching sport at home than dining in restaurants. However, today’s number is still ahead of the 3.4 times per month recorded in the capital two years ago.”
The report also found that men are more likely than women to eat out, with a monthly visit frequency of 2.6 times versus 2.3. These numbers for the sexes have fallen from 2.8 and 2.4 times per month respectively, since the last survey. Men eating out more frequently than women has been a consistent trend across all five Leisure Wallet Reports.
