Stay ahead of the curve and future-proof your business with Mintel’s UK Eating Out Review Market Report 2024. Our full report is packed with consumer-led market intelligence, the latest UK earing out market research, trends and consumer behaviours affecting your business. Get a 360° view of the UK foodservice market including market size, share and forecasted growth to help you align your business strategy with the needs of your audience.
Below, we’ve handpicked the key insights analysed in the full report and summarised the core topics.
Topics Analysed in this Report
- The impact of rising costs on consumers and the UK foodservice market.
- The size, growth projections, and key segments of the UK foodservice market.
- The shifting trends of consumer dining and takeaway habits in recent years.
- Key factors and behaviours influencing consumer dining out and takeaway choices.
- A focus on guest satisfaction and unmet needs within the event catering segment.
UK Eating Out Market Outlook
Despite squeezed budgets, eating out remains a popular leisure activity in 2024, with the UK eating out market expected to exceed inflation and grow. While menu price hikes will contribute to the growth, two distinct trends are driving demand: value-conscious diners seeking affordable treats and those spending on special experiences.
- UK foodservice market size: Mintel forecasts that the foodservice market size will reach £166 billion in 2028.
UK Eating Out Trends, Opportunities and Challenges
Cater to adventurous kids
With a growing number of parents with children under 16 calling for more small portion options of adult dishes for kids, this highlights the growing demand for diverse flavours and cuisines in kids’ menus and a clear need for the UK foodservice market to address this unmet demand.
- UK eating out market trend: 72% of parents with children aged 16 and under are seeking small portions of adult dishes.
Desire for Nutrition
With more than half of under-35s keen to see nutritional information, such as vitamins and minerals, on menus, this highlights their desire to make informed choices, understand what they are consuming, and tailor their food intake to meet personal health goals.
- UK foodservice market trends: 55% of under 35s would like to see the vitamin and mineral content of the food and drinks listed on menus.
Purchase our UK Eating Out Review to receive a five-year forecast, consumer behaviour analysis, and recommendations for market opportunities. Readers of this report may also be interested in our UK Pizza and Italian Restaurants Market Report 2023, or our range of Foodservice Market Research.
Companies Featured in the Full Report
KFC, Uber Eats, Greene King, The Ivy Collection, Nibble, ASK Italian, Pret A Manger, McDonalds, Nandos, TGI Fridays, Loch Fyne.
Expert Insights from a Foodservice Analyst
This report, written by Trish Caddy, a leading research analyst, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight trends in the UK foodservice market and add expert context to the numbers.
The UK foodservice market has shown remarkable resilience in the face of significant challenges. This adaptability paints an optimistic picture for the future.
Trish Caddy
Principal Foodservice Analyst
Collapse All
-
Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the foodservice market
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Graph 1: foodservice % change in market value, by segmentation, 2019-23
- What consumers want and why
- Graph 2: overall eating out usage, 2019-23
- Graph 3: restaurants and food outlets visited for eat-in meals, 2023
- Graph 4: foodservice visitation drivers, 2023
- Graph 5: eating out behaviours, 2023
- Innovation and marketing
-
Market Dynamics
- Market size
- Market forecast
- Market segmentation
- Graph 6: foodservice % change in market value, by segmentation, 2019-23
- Graph 7: dine-in and takeaway sales as a percentage of total sales, 2019-23
- Macro-economic factors
- Graph 8: CPI inflation rate, 2021-23
- Graph 9: expected responses to rising prices, 2023
- Graph 10: “Have you been affected by any of these issues over the last two months? Please select all that apply”, 2023
- Graph 11: the financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- Graph 12: the financial confidence index, 2016-23
- Social, environmental and legal factors
-
What Consumers Want and Why
- Eating out participation
- Graph 13: overall eating out usage, 2019-23
- Graph 14: restaurants and food outlets visited for eat-in meals, 2023
- Graph 15: annual changes in restaurants and food outlets visited for eat-in meals, 2022-23
- Graph 16: annual changes in repertoire of food outlets^ visited for eat in or takeaway, 2020-23
- Graph 17: annual changes in repertoire of restaurants^ visited for eat in or takeaway, 2020-23
- Ways to encourage visits
- Graph 18: foodservice visitation drivers, 2023
- Eating out behaviours
- Graph 19: eating out behaviours, 2023
- Graph 20: eating out behaviours relating to foodservice technology, 2023
- Graph 21: eating out behaviours relating to nutritional information on menus, 2023
- Graph 22: attitudes towards smaller portions, by children, 2023
- Graph 23: attitudes towards independent restaurants, 2023
- Graph 24: [no title]
- Event catering
- Graph 25: events attendance, 2023
- Graph 26: consumer satisfaction with event catering, 2023
-
Innovation And Marketing Trends
- Launch activity and innovation
-
Appendix
- Market forecast data and methodology
- Report scope and definitions
- Methodology
Market Intelligence Made Easier With Mintel
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
$ 2,995 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or invoice (net 30 payment terms)
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
-
Save up to 20% when you purchase multiple reports
Discount automatically applied in basket
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.
They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.
Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
Working in a customer-obsessed organization means that data and insights have to be at our fingertips. Mintel’s reports help us support anecdotes with real quantifiable insights. The summary sections (which I really like) helps save time by giving a birds eye view of the content before spending time combing through the pages.
Our business review discussions are strengthened by the relevancy of the reports to help us better understand our customers. In addition, the customer service received from the team (especially in crunch periods) makes the process of understanding customer behavior even better.
Ngozi Ngonadi-Nkwoji, Senior Marketing Manager, Amazon
We’ve found it so useful working more closely with Mintel. They helped support our recent flagship event for our top suppliers by providing a really unique viewpoint on the future of online retailing.
Nick Carroll from their Retail Team was also an excellent panelist, sharing useful and actionable consumer insights. We definitely look forward to working with Mintel again on future projects.
Zac Steele, E-Commerce Trading Development Manager, Waitrose & Partners
There is no question that Mintel is the go-to resource for the best quality market research, but I did not think it was an affordable option for Abacus Marketing to consider. As a small marketing agency, we only work with a few new clients each year.
However, we have a very high-end consultative approach to our work, so we really do need a partner like Mintel to provide the big agency experience we are always aiming to deliver. Our clients come from an incredibly diverse range of industry sectors, so we obviously need access to market research reports from a very wide spectrum of marketplaces – and that is precisely what we got.
Stephen Taylor-Brown, Managing Director, Abacus
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
