QSR occasions rise as diners seek inexpensive meal options

The latest monthly snapshot of the Eating and Drinking Out Panel for the four weeks to 16 April shows that as demand for QSR offerings grew, so did sales of primary fast food items.

They include chips, wedges and fries, which increased by 2.5ppts year on year; and burgers, which grew by 2.8ppts.

Lunch occasions also increased by 0.8ppts year on year, off the back of more consumers returning to offices.

This has led to a rise in sandwich (+0.5ppts) and salad (+2.2ppts) sales, the latter of which is attributed to an increase in consumer interest around healthier eating and a rise in operators offering lighter options.

In total, weekly eating and drinking out penetration increased by 2ppts year on year over the period, attributed to consumer confidence rising after the Bank of England saying it no longer believed the UK will enter a recession this year.

However, despite improvements in market penetration, spend still has not increased at the same level as inflation, with year on year growth at only 3.8%.