The price of a three-course meal in both pubs and restaurants has risen significantly in the past year – by 5.6% and 5% respectively – according to a new study.
A report from Horizons, the market analyst, suggests that a three-course meal in a pub now costs an average of £15.74 while the price in restaurants has risen to £21.
In pubs, a starter avergaes just over £4, a main course comes in at nearly £8 and a dessert at £3.75.
A starter in a low to mid-spend restaurant now costs an average of £6.16, a main course £10.21 and a dessert £4.54, making a restaurant meal 30% more expensive than a pub meal.
Horizons’ six-monthly Menurama survey, which analyses menu trends across the top 115 hotel, restaurant and pub brands, shows how prices have risen over the past six months with the cost of an average dish across all outlets now at £6.61, up 4.8% on January 2010. Overall, starters have risen 6.6% in the past six months, main courses by 4.2% and desserts by nearly 2%.
Paul Backman, Horizons development executive, said that the results of the survey suggested that rising food inflation was weighing on retail pricing.
Food inflation, which is currently running at 3.8%, could go as high as 7%, said Horizons – a knock-on effect of rising global commodity prices.
The research also shows the continuation of a downward trend in dish weights (where stated on menus) for burgers and steaks as operators seek to trim costs as well as the slow demise of organic food on British menus.
Menu mentions of organic produce have declined by 20% since 2009 as customers become less willing to pay a premium for organic in today’s financial climate.
However, the trend for quality assurance and responsible production continues with many menus still featuring terms such as free range, Fairtrade, homemade, organic, sustainable, line-caught, local, Red Tractor, and farm-assured.
Conversely the use of corn-fed, dolphin-friendly and outdoor-bred or reared are becoming less common as this terminology becomes dated.
