Dining trends report shows that diners are becoming more adventurous

Produced by consumer foresight and futures consultancy, Trajectory, the survey of 2,034 adults also says that three in five over 65s are adventurous with what they eat, with one in five saying that they eat out at least once a week, along with 31 per cent of the total respondents who also dine out at least once a week.

The report also states that 66 per cent of per cent of people claim to be passionate about food and drink and that 41 per cent of diners find recent visitor reviews helpful when choosing where to eat.

A change in attitude​

The figures show a change in the dining attitudes of consumers and that they are moving away from the traditional eating times and locations. One in five people last ate out mid-morning or mid-afternoon and one third of respondents will eat at shopping centres in the future.

Paul Flatters, managing director of Trajectory, says that this demonstrates that people feel less restricted by social norms when it comes to dining thanks to changing working hours, and that the hospitality industry needs to adapt to match the new needs of their guests.

“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’. 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,” he said.

Clare Blampied, managing director of Sacla’ UK, believes that the report will be a useful tool for the foodservice industry.

“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,” she said.