Only a fifth of diners use discount vouchers

The value of discount vouchers in the eating and drinking out sector was put into question today after a new study found that only 17 per cent of consumers take advantage of the offers.​

A QuickBite survey of 1,000 adults from market analysts Horizons revealed that the majority of consumers (55 per cent) do not base their decision to eat out on the availability of a money-off deal.

Some 25 per cent of diners who use discount deals say they would have eaten elsewhere had the deal not been available, while 20 per cent would have stayed at home.

Peter Backman, Horizon’s development executive, said: “Vouchers are untargeted in that while they persuade a percentage of consumers to dine somewhere they are also being used by more loyal customers who would dine in that restaurant anyway and don’t need to be persuaded with money-off vouchers

“Deals in the eating out sector have become much more sophisticated over the past 18 months, but operators still need to work harder at attracting new customers, rather than purely rewarding existing ones.”

Two-for-one offers​

Unsurprisingly, two-for-one offers are the most common eating out vouchers used by diners, with money-off coupons and “meal deals” ranking second. Women (19 per cent) are more likely to use discount vouchers than men (12 per cent) with those under-35 the most common age group to use them.

PizzaExpress is the most popular place to redeem restaurant vouchers, although deals at McDonald’s (13 per cent), Tesco (10 per cent), Domino’s Pizza (9 per cent) and Pizza Hut (7 per cent) are also popular.

Some 44 per cent of diners hear about vouchers from friends and acquaintances, with digital communication the second most important, the majority of which come direct from the restaurant.

Voucher websites​

Only a small number download their vouchers from websites such as Moneysavingexpert.com or Vouchercodes.co.uk, while others get them from smartphone applications such as Vouchercloud.com or Foursquare.com.

Horizons’ survey also shows that the value of the eating out market has risen 2.6 per cent year-on-year from £31.4bn to £32.2bn while the total number of meals eaten out has risen by 3.2 per cent from 2.84bn to 2.93bn to June 2010.

Consumers are spending more per head when they eat out — up 14.3 per cent to £11.53 — but are eating out less often (1.4 times a week compared to 1.6 last year).

Dining is also becoming more casual with a 9 per cent year-on-year decrease in the number of people eating at a table service restaurant, with 5 per cent more choosing takeaways and 7 per cent more opting for fast food.

Martyn Leek is news editor at BigHospitality's sister publication, M&C Report.​​