Consumers eat out more but spend less

Published: 24 July, 2012

Consumers are eating out more often now than at any time in the past two years, but they're spending less, according to a consumer survey from Horizons.

Horizons' latest QuickBite survey, where YouGov questioned 2,105 consumers in June, the average British adult had eaten out 2.77 times in the past two weeks, compared with 2.02 times in July 2011.

The most popular venues were pub restaurants (19%), takeaway and home delivery outlets (17%), as well as Italian restaurants and other European restaurants with 9% each.

Food quality was singled out as the most important factor when choosing where to eat (78%), price was second at 72%, while a third admitted force of habit drove their decision.

The main reasons for dining out were convenience (29%) and meeting friends (26%).

But diners are spending less than they did a year ago - this has fallen from £12.69 a year ago to £12.30 (including drinks).

Average spend in restaurants and pub restaurants dropped to £15.46 from £17.00 in January 2012, while average spend on quick service dining fell from £9.60 to £7.29.

Horizons' director of services Paul Backman said: "It is surprising, given the difficult economy and the fact that retail spending remains low, that the respondents to our survey are still eating out on a regular basis, and in fact more regularly. Pub restaurants and takeaways are the most popular choices, perhaps as diners downgrade from more expensive establishments.

"The fact average spend has fallen is evidence of continued cost cutting - forgoing a course, ordering a glass of wine instead of a bottle, or opting for a sharing dish. The amount of discounting in the sector has also driven down average spend," he added.

When it comes to the UK's favourite venues, the high street chains dominate. In the pub restaurant sector Wetherspoon (10%), Harvester (9%) and Brewers Fayre (8%) dominate and in Italian-style restaurants Pizza Express (20%), Pizza Hut (14%) were the most frequently mentioned.

Of those that had eaten out in the past two weeks the biggest spenders were consumers in the 45-54 age group, at £13.86 per head. Those aged 35-44 years spent an average of £12.99, while the over 55s spent £12.85.

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