Pubs ‘the most popular place for eating out’
The monthly report showed 37% of respondents visited the pub regularly to eat out while 35% used restaurants and 12% favoured fast-food outlets.
It also highlighted in December, the average British household spent £205 on out-of-home leisure which is a £15 (7%) year-on-year decrease.
Christmas had a positive effect on spend
The effect of Christmas was clear on a month-on-month basis with spending on eating out rose up by than £4 (5%) and drinking out of home increased by about £3.50 (8%) compared with November.
Greene King digital and insights director Kenny Skelton said: “The Christmas period was a clear demonstration of consumer priorities as British households increased spending on eating and drinking out at the expense of other leisure [activities].
“There are increasingly ‘protected’ areas of spend with people unwilling to cut back on what they now consider essential leisure spending.”
Focus on improving dining
He added: “The findings show the great British pub continues to be an important venue for many British households, not only as a place for socialising but as a preferred destination for eating out.
“This has been helped by an industry-wide focus on improving the dining experience for customers, which is one that will stand it in good stead moving forward into 2017.”
In December last year, the leisure tracker reported drinking-out spend was up significantly year-on-year despite the month-on-month spend ahead of Christmas dropping by £2 (4%).
