Dinner occasions decrease as cost of living prevents increase in consumer frequency

The latest monthly snapshot of the Eating and Drinking Out Panel for the four weeks to 22 January shows that overall penetration has increased by two percentage points (ppts) year on year as the removal of Coronavirus restrictions and return of workers to offices led to more consumers participating in the market.

However, while frequency has remained stable, the rising cost of living has prevented an increase in consumer frequency and in some cases led to a decrease.

Dinner occasions have dropped by 1.8ppts, as consumers move away from purchasing food during the most expensive day part. Meanwhile, QSR occasions have also declined, according to the research, following increased demand for delivered channels during the pandemic.

The category to see the biggest uplift is the pub and bar space, whose share of occasions has increased by 3.0ppts year on year, as pandemic fears have eased and consumers returned to pre-pandemic behaviours.

Dish types reflect the increase in pub occasions, with chips’ share of occasions growing by 2.4ppts and burgers by 1.8ppts, as consumers purchase pub classics.

Overall, average spend has increased by +8% year on year, as inflation, rising energy costs and the war in the Ukraine drive up food prices. However, spend increases remain behind inflation
levels, as consumers look to more accessibly priced options when eating out.