UK diners more flexible than ever about meal times, report finds

The changing nature of work and the flexibility and freedom this brings is having an impact on daily routines, eating and spending habits, the Eating Out – Today and Tomorrow​ report has found.

Commissioned by Sacla, the report surveyed the attitudes of more than 2,000 pub and restaurant customers.

It revealed that more than 30% of all respondents report regularly skipping breakfast, rising to 40% of 18 to 24-year-olds. In contrast, one in five people now eat out mid-morning or mid-afternoon.

Meanwhile, 56% of Londoners and 52% of non-Londoners described their working hours as ‘irregular, changing or unpredictable’.

Marrying in these trends with the growth of the eating-out market, the report concluded that almost a third of the £283bn spent on food in the UK goes to the out-of-home market, such as pubs, restaurants and cafés.

Adventurous tastes​

The report also highlighted the willingness of British consumers to try new foods – 66% described themselves as passionate about food and drink and 62% said they were ‘totally adventurous’ in terms of cuisine. The over-65s were shown to be particularly keen to try new food with three in five ‘totally adventurous’ with new cuisine.

Technological advancements were a point of consternation in the poll, with 41% having said they wanted to see recent visitor reviews online before visiting an outlet. However, 37% said they would prefer to eat in a tech free environment, with the figure only dropping to 32% for Generation Y.

Service times remain a bug-bear for consumers, with 70% of adults frustrated by some aspects of waiting, rising to 75% of Generation Y.

Other trends​

• 29% of families eat out together on a weekly basis.
• 31% of all respondents say they eat out at least once a week.
• An even higher number of Londoners (44%), the self-employed (45%) and 18 to 34-year-olds (41%) eat out at least once a week.
• 94% of respondents expressed an international cuisines repertoire of five.

Clare Blampied, managing director at Sacla UK, said: “We are extremely excited to have produced this brand new trends-driven report.  It delivers an in-depth look into the foodservice industry, and provides strategic insight for operators looking to improve their offering.”

Paul Flatters, managing director at Trajectory, which produced the report, said: “This provides a fresh perspective on UK consumer attitudes, behaviours and expectations. Consumers feel less constricted in their behaviour by traditional norms of time, place and social status, a core theme throughout the report and a concept we labelled the ‘deregulation of life’.

Flatters added: “The four fundamental elements of ‘deregulation of life’ – time, place, individualism and mobile devices – demand that foodservice operators consider how they could or should offer the flexibility and choice to match today’s deregulated lifestyles.”