Eating Out Review - UK -
Attitudes Towards Eating Out
Key points
●
Eating
out habits have been changing for years, with a greater impact on all-day
dining and a wider variety of eating out occasions. This has meant that the
market has been better placed to cope with this recession with menus that
remain flexible and which recognise that the majority of consumers do not tend
to eat three courses anyway.
●
Since
the last recession, eating out venues have increasingly appealed to the trend
for casual dining and as a result it has become less of a discretionary spend
and more ingrained into consumers’ everyday lifestyles.
●
However,
for those in the lower socio-economic groups, eating out continues to be an
event for special occasions and not a regular occurrence.
Long-term
societal trends affecting eating out trends, not just the recession
The next question
respondents were asked was:
“Which of these statements, if any, about eating a meal
in a restaurant do you agree with?”
FIGURE
13: Attitudes towards eating out, March 2009
Base:
2,000 internet users aged 16+
|
|
%
|
|
|
|
|
I never really
eat three courses
|
44
|
|
I tend to eat
out only on a special occasion/celebration
|
40
|
|
I tend to eat
out as a regular treat
|
27
|
|
I often use
money off-discount vouchers
|
26
|
|
I tend to order
food I’m familiar with rather than try something new
|
24
|
|
I often eat out
on the spur of the moment
|
23
|
|
I tend to order
new or different foods/dishes
|
23
|
|
I often order
from a set menu
|
18
|
|
I order tap
water not bottled water
|
18
|
|
A lot of restaurants
these days just tend to offer the same sort of things
|
15
|
|
I’m picking up
more in-home dining meal deals rather than eat out (eg M&S Dine in for
£10)
|
11
|
|
I only ever
order the house wine
|
9
|
|
I often buy
extras (eg side dishes, liqueur coffees, cheese boards)
|
7
|
|
I have cut back
on eating out during the week but not weekends
|
6
|
|
None of these
|
7
|
SOURCE:
GMI/Mintel
I never really
eat three courses
●
Demographic
profile: Women, 16-19 and 55+ years old, particularly prevalent in
North/Yorkshire & Humberside, in full-time education or retired, gross
annual household income of £25,000-49,999, no children in the household,
household size of two.
●
Consumer
research for this report has already shown that only around one in ten
consumers state that they are eating out as often but spending less per visit.
This further shows that the reason that many consumers today never really eat
three courses is more of a long-term societal trend than as a direct result of
the current economic climate. This is also backed up by consumer research
carried out for Mintel’s report Marketing,
Promotion and Advertising Strategies of the Eating Out Market – UK, January
2009 which shows that only 8% of adults were ordering less (eg no starters)
to save money, when the survey was carried out in October/November 2008.
●
This
is tied into the trend for all day dining as eating out continues to be a less
formal affair than it once was. As such, menu development has to adhere to this
trend as evidenced by Little Chef’s new sharing platters, as well as the new
menu at the recently refurbished twotwentytwo in London’s Landmark Hotel, which
lets diners put their own platter together from a list of dishes.
●
There
is also evidence of operators trying to make up expenditure lost through
consumers ordering fewer courses, for example, the introduction of ‘Intros’ on
PizzaExpress menus.
I tend to eat out
only on a special occasion/celebration
●
Demographic
profile: Women, aged 16-19, South East/East Anglia, not working, in full-time
education, C2DE, household size of 5+.
●
Mintel’s
consumer research shows that these consumers are also likely to have stated
that the recession has had a major impact on their eating out habits, which
highlights the idea that although families were recently eating out regularly
in mid-market restaurants as a convenient meal replacement exercise, now they
have reverted to using restaurants only for special occasions. The fear is that
it will be difficult to coax families back out into restaurants once the
economic situation improves. In order to achieve this, mid-market restaurant
brands will have to establish distinctive USPs and promote the ‘experience’ of
eating out to make it more difficult for parents to directly compare the cost
of in-home versus out-of-home dining.
I tend to eat out
as a regular treat
●
Demographic
profile: AB, gross annual household income of £50,000+, household size of two.
●
There
is a correlation between consumers who eat out as regular treat and those that
regularly use money-off vouchers, highlighting the effectiveness of these
price-led promotions in raising, or at least maintaining, footfall.
I often use
money-off discount vouchers
●
Demographic
profile: Women, aged 16-34, South East/East Anglia, North West, in full-time
education, C1, gross annual household income £25,000-50,000+, children aged
0-4.
I tend to order
food I’m familiar with rather than trying something new
●
Demographic
profile: Aged 16-19, in full-time education, D socio-economic group.
●
Age
is the biggest determinant here, with these diners relatively inexperienced
when it comes to getting out and trying new foods generally. This, together
with their financial status, also implies that they are likely to only go to
low-cost, often fast food venues, which in themselves tend to offer limited
menus.
●
Menu
development likely to appeal to these consumers includes products with new
twists. An obvious example of this in the fast food industry are McDonald’s
McFlurries, which not only update a classic dessert but also use familiar
brands such as Cornetto do so.
I often eat out
on the spur of the moment
●
Demographic
profile: Aged 16-19, in full-time education, AB, single.
●
These
consumers show a strong correlation with visiting pubs to eat, highlighting the
popularity of pubs for their informality and breadth of menu range.
Key analysis: If
venues are looking to encourage ‘spur of the moment’ dining, it would be
advisable to try and appeal to consumers’ senses with strategies such as
deli-style counters which display the food, as well as ensuring that any snack
or takeaway options are clearly visible. Tasting stations outside the venue
should also help with consumer engagement.
I tend to order
new/different foods/dishes
●
Demographic
profile: Aged 25+, East and West Midlands, North West, self-employed, ABs,
gross annual household income of £50,000+, household size of two or three, and
heavy internet usage.
●
Affluence
plays a large part in consumers’ ability to be adventurous both in terms of the
foods that they’re likely to have grown up with at home and in terms of the
restaurants they can frequent.
Key analysis:
Regular innovation will be crucial to keeping the attention of these otherwise
promiscuous diners, whilst communicating these developments through viral
campaigns will also be key.
I often order
from a set menu
●
Demographic
profile: Aged 20-24 and 55+, North West, retired, ABs, gross annual household
income of £50,000+.
●
Despite
operators’ increasing use of set menus as a way of encouraging consumers to eat
out during the recession, it would seen that economising isn’t the main reason
that diners choose from set menus. Instead, the demographic profile of these
consumers implies that there is either a certain amount of apathy in their
choice of dishes and/or reliance on the chef’s recommendations (which would reflect
the high-end positioning of the restaurants that these consumers visit).
I order tap water
not bottled water
●
Demographic
profile: Women, aged 16-24 and 55+, inner and Greater London, ABC1, no children
in the household, single.
Key analysis:
Women are particularly influenced by presentation, which is why tap water
should be served to consumers paying attention to details such as adding ice
and lemon. Fostering goodwill with gestures such as this should help with
customer retention, while having little effect on an operator’s bottom line.
A lot of
restaurants these days just tend to offer the same sort of things
●
Demographic
profile: Aged 20-24 and 55+, retired, ABC1.
Key analysis:
Retired consumers are often the most experienced diners and therefore also the
hardest to please. Seasonal menus and specials boards are traditional ways to
target these consumers, although having more flexible chefs who are able to
create a new dish according to these diners’ tastes/whims on the night would be
a more memorable gesture.
I’m picking up
more in-home dining meal deals rather than eat out (eg M&S Dine in for £10)
●
Demographic
profile: Aged 20-34, inner and Greater London, Scotland, in full-time
education, in full-time employment, AB, children in the household.
●
The
one in ten consumers who state that they are choosing these in-home meals
rather than eat out also show a correlation with those that state that the
recession has had a major impact on their eating out habits.
●
That
said, the consumer research for this report also found a correlation between
these consumers and those that prioritise dining out in their expenditure
considerations, which suggests that there may be a certain amount of apathy or
search for shortcuts/convenience which drives this purchasing decision; in
other words, it is a way of upgrading a consumer’s normal grocery shopping, not
just the cost-saving exercise, the way in which it these offers are often
marketed.
I only ever order
the house wine
●
Demographic
profile: Aged 45+, no children in the household, household size of one or two,
married.
Key analysis:
There is a growing trend towards offering the choice of carafes on wine menus,
which should help appeal to the consumers in this group who choose the house
wine in order to save money. Alternatively, holding tasting sessions may help
encourage those who choose the house wine as they are unfamiliar with wines
generally.
I often buy
extras (eg side dishes)
●
Demographic
profile: Aged 20-24, in full-time education.
●
Diners
tend to be adventurous at this age and are also relatively unrestricted by
major family or financial commitments.
Key analysis:
Operators looking to attract these consumers should focus on the idea of
‘aspiration’, or ‘affordable aspiration’ at least. For example, UK operators
could try and foster the current trend for cocktails in restaurants, which is a
growing one in the US.
I have cut back
on eating out during the week but not weekends
●
Demographic
profile: Aged 55+, gross household income of under £9,499, single-person
household.
●
Despite
the fact these consumers have cut back on how often they eat out, consumer
research shows that dining out is still one of their most significant spending
priorities. They are also shown to be some of the most frequent eating out
consumers, with the majority eating out once a week. However, there is also a
correlation between these consumers and those who have been buying in-home meal
deals instead of eating out.
Key analysis: As
a result, future strategies should be about enabling these consumers to eat out
more often during the week eg with marketing campaigns surrounding eating out
or less formal/time-consuming occasions such as just for one course like a
dessert or quick snack. This would simulate trends found in the lunchtime
eating out market, where there is a certain amount of ‘fragmentation’
(consumers bringing in part of their lunch from home and buying the rest in
out-of-home venues). Time-limited new product launches which are only available
during the week may also help consumers to return to dining out more, by
fostering the idea that they would be missing out on something new and
different if they didn’t.
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