Menu Trends - UK - February 2018

OVERVIEW
What you need to know
Covered in this Report
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The market
The opportunities for growth
The challenges faced
Subdued consumer confidence
Companies and brands
Menu innovations
Dining concepts
The consumer
Participation in eating out
Figure 1: Participation in eating out, by dining occasions, November 2017
Menu items by meal occasion
Figure 2: Menu items by meal occasions, November 2017
Factors that encourage trying new items
Figure 3: Factors that encourage people to try new menu items, November 2017
Food preparations
Figure 4: Interests in food preparation methods, November 2017
Menu trends
Figure 5: Key menu trends, November 2017
Consumer attitudes
Figure 6: Attitudes towards menu trends, November 2017
What we think
ISSUES AND INSIGHTS
Attracting Millennials
The facts
The implications
Appealing to older diners
The facts
The implications
Delivering better deals
The facts
The implications
THE MARKET – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
National living wage increases
Rising business rates
Consumers face income squeeze
Population trends
Attitudes towards food
MARKET DRIVERS
Consumers face income squeeze
Hospitality recruitment at its most difficult
Rising business rates
National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage
Britain’s population
Figure 7: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2011-16 and 2016-21
Trends in healthy food factors
Figure 8: Trends in healthy food factors, April 2016-November 2017
Consumer attitudes towards food
Foodie-ism
Flexitarianism
Healthy eating
Figure 9: Trends in selected attitudes towards food, April 2016-November 2017
Higher standards create “halo” effect for meat
FSA issues new regulations on cooking burgers
Red Tractor toughens farm standards
Air pollution concerns could crush the wood-fired trend
COMPANIES AND BRANDS – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
New on the food menu
Notable dining concepts
LAUNCH ACTIVITY AND INNOVATION
Menu trends that stand out
Vegan menus
Dipping sauces
Wood-fired
Smoking
Curing
Raw food
Fermenting and pickling
Meat-led concepts
Fusion cuisine
Tapas-style dishes
Formats that stand out
Test kitchen menus
Dark kitchens
Open kitchens
Cook-it-yourself
Menu pricing structures that stand out
Dynamic pricing
Fixed-price menus
Non-refundable tickets
THE CONSUMER – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The brunch and breakfast boom
Fewer than half order a starter, dessert or side at dinner time
The lure of freebies and special offers
Barbecuing and grilling are most popular cooking methods
Demand for “clean eating”
Examining the attitudes of diners
PARTICIPATION IN EATING OUT
More than nine in ten Brits eat out
Figure 10: Overall participation in eating out, November 2017
The consumers who eat out
Dinner and lunch
Brunch and breakfast
Figure 11: Overall usage by dining occasions, November 2017
MENU ITEMS BY MEAL OCCASION
Dinner occasion
Lunch
Figure 12: Menu items, by meal occasions, November 2017
Brunch
Breakfast
FACTORS THAT ENCOURAGE TRIALLING NEW ITEMS
Figure 13: Factors that encourage people to try new menu items, November 2017
Women prefer detailed flavour descriptions when trying new items
Trial sides or dips chime with younger women
Introducing new flavours to familiar dishes
How social media can impact foot traffic
FOOD PREPARATION INTEREST
Barbecuing and grilling are most popular cooking methods
Deep-frying
Figure 14: Interests in food preparation methods, November 2017
Urban Millennials drive wood-fired oven cooking
Figure 15: Preference in cooking methods, by food trends, November 2017
Common cooking methods appeal more to older consumers
Roasting
Stir frying
Steaming
Figure 16: Interests in food preparation methods, by age, November 2017
Affluent diners drive demand for lesser known food preparations
Smoking
Curing
Raw food
Fermenting or pickling
KEY MENU TRENDS
Over-45s drawn to natural ingredients
Figure 17: Key menu trends, November 2017
Women are drawn to "clean eating" concepts
Demand for takeaway/home delivery driven by Millennials and families
Urban families driving nose-to-tail/root-to-tip cooking concepts
Figure 18: Attitudes towards eating out, by food trends, November 2017
ATTITUDES TOWARDS MENU TRENDS
Older consumers focus more on quality of meat…
…while under-45s are eating more vegetables
Figure 19: Attitudes towards menu trends, November 2017
Women enjoy sharing food at the table
Better value for money from a fixed-price menu…
…and preference for short menus
Millennials will pay more for British…
…and sustainable ingredients
Figure 20: Attitudes towards menu trends, by attitudes towards menu trends, November 2017
Young men most drawn to fusion foods
CHAID ANALYSIS
Making vegetables more family-friendly
Figure 21: Menu trends – CHAID – Tree output, November 2017
Figure 22: Menu trends – CHAID – Table output, November 2017
APPENDIX – DATA SOURCES, ABBREVIATIONS AND SUPPORTING INFORMATION
Abbreviations
Consumer research methodology
CHAID analysis methodology