According to a recent survey by hospitality research specialists CGA Peach*, three-quarters of the UK population ate out at least once during May, compared to 57% ordering a take away meal to eat at home.
This is of course good news for restaurants, bars and pubs as a further sign that consumers are feeling more relaxed about spending money on out of home dining. Even better, 83% of those surveyed said they plan to drink out as much as they did in the last four weeks, and 88% expect to eat out as often.
What’s also impressive about the figures is that the competition, in terms of the in-home dining environment, has become more intense over the last couple of years with the arrival of Netflix, Amazon Instant and other subscription TV services. The fact that going out to eat has held up against the attraction of watching a recent movie with a pizza is surely worth cheering.
The reasons why people go out to for a meal are of course complex and vary according to the day of the week, time of day, geographical location and socio-demographic makeup of each eatery’s customer base. Pub and restaurant groups have invested much time and money attempting to categorise consumers’ motivation for eating out, from ‘can’t be bothered to cook’ to ‘special occasion’, or the impromptu need for something to soak up a few after-work drinks.
The fact that customers have a number of reasons for eating out brings plenty of opportunities for operators, so it’s worth checking that you have an offer to suit every occasion when consumers might be in need of food. Think about the following:
• Flexible dining hours: the days when customers only ate out at lunchtime or dinner time are long gone and today they’re as likely to want a meal mid-afternoon after an over-running meeting or shopping trip, or a late night snack instead after a missed evening meal. If having your full menu on all day isn’t an option, look at offering a reduced version that you can serve with reduced kitchen staff numbers, for example.
• Impulse options: this applies equally to tempting the taste buds of customers who came in for a drink rather than food, and encouraging other diners to spend more when. Sharing boards are ideal for groups of friends or work parties, so make sure yours cover the spectrum of dietary requirements with fish or vegetarian options. Set lunch menus can be a great way to increase customers’ spend, so price yours at a level that offers good value compared to other lunchtime options such as sandwiches and offer fast service for customers on a tight schedule.
• Ring the changes: unless you have a transient customer base, you will be trying to build a business based on repeat trade. And while many customers will return because they love your fish & chips, or home-made pies, even the least adventurous among them will tire of the same dish on every visit. Offering the right combination of new menu items and established favourites is something that every food operator has to master – as we touched on in a recent blog post.
Despite the apparently improving prospects for our sector, this is no time for any operator to rest on their laurels. Keeping up with the latest consumer trends and ‘must have’ ingredients, as well as the next social media channel to prome your business, requires endless time and dedication.
At Lynx, we work closely with suppliers to ensure that we know exactly what’s happening on availability and prices across a range of product areas, meaning that we can help our customers to produce menus that not only appeal to diners, but also deliver a healthy profit to the operator. And while we look after the ingredients, you can concentrate on all the other aspects of running a busy pub or restaurant.
We have also developed a free GP Calculator App, endorsed by the Craft Guild of Chefs, which helps chefs and others to monitor margins, particularly specials, using their smartphone or tablet in a busy kitchen. You can download the app from the App Store or Google Play, using the links below:
For Android: Lynx Purchasing GP Calculator App on Google Play
*CGA BrandPulse research for four weeks to 15 May 2015
