Stay ahead of the curve in the ethnic foodservice market and future-proof your business with Mintel’s UK Ethnic Restaurants and Takeaways Market Report 2023. Our full report is packed with consumer-led market intelligence, the latest trends and consumer behaviours affecting your industry, alongside data-driven recommendations. Get a 360° view of the UK takeaway market including market size, share and forecasted growth to help you align your business strategy with your audiences’ needs. Below, we’ve handpicked key insights from the full report.
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Topics Analysed in this Report
- The impact of inflation on the ethnic foodservice and UK takeaway market.
- Changes in the ethnic restaurant and takeaway usage, popular cuisines and ordering channels.
- Consumers’ interest in emerging ethnic cuisines.
- Consumers’ attitudes towards ethnic restaurants and takeaways.
Ethnic Foodservice Market Outlook
The ethnic UK takeaway market is far from immune to the effects of the cost of living crisis. Ethnic foodservice sales have become more hard-earned than before, as operators are challenged to offer competitive deals and promotions whilst battling rising costs. However, demand for eating-out experiences continues to evolve whilst the UK takeaway market is performing resiliently and well above pre-pandemic levels.
UK Takeaway Market Trends and Innovation Opportunities
Decline in Chinese and Indian cuisine popularity
Chinese and Indian cuisines are becoming slightly less popular and continue to face challenges from emerging cuisines. Throughout the full report, Mintel’s emphasizes the need for Chinese and Indian cuisine operators to make significant efforts to modernise their cuisines if they want to maintain their popularity.
- UK takeaway market challenge: 32% of consumers agree that emerging cuisines are more exciting than established ones
Leisure and foodservice collaboration
As the lines between leisure and foodservice categories increasingly blurred, Mintel’s analysis highlights the potential for greater collaboration that will enable restaurant and takeaway operators to deliver a far more fun and exciting going-out experience than ever before. For example, more ethnic foodservice operators may branch out into leisure venue catering through offering white label foodservices.
- UK takeaway market opportunity: 44% of UK adults are interested in ordering ethnic food from a street food market.
To learn how to connect with your audience, purchase our full UK Ethnic Restaurants and Takeaways Market Report 2023. Discover lucrative innovation opportunities to help your business grow during times of financial uncertainty.
Leading Brands in the UK Takeaway Market
Wagamama, Taco Bell, Itsu, YO! Sushi, Turtle Bay, Wasabi, Pho, Wahaca, Dishoom.
Expert Insights from a Food Analyst
This report, written by Trish Caddy a leading analyst, delivers in-depth commentary and analysis to highlight current trends in the UK takeaway market and add expert context to the numbers.
Higher consumer confidence about dining in at restaurants since the pandemic has resulted in some consumers using takeaway services less often. However, ethnic foodservice sales have become more hard-earned than before, as operators are challenged to offer competitive deals and promotions whilst battling rising costs. Promisingly, consumers continue to be tempted by a diverse and exciting ethnic foodservice market, with a third of them agreeing that emerging ethnic cuisines are more exciting than established ones”
Trish Caddy
Principal Analyst – Foodservice
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Overview
- Key issues covered in this Report
- Products covered in this Report
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Executive Summary
- The five-year outlook for the ethnic foodservice market
- Figure 1: Category outlook, 2023-27
- The market
- Market size and forecast
- Figure 2: UK ethnic foodservice market total value, 2017-27
- Dine in sector on track to reach 2019 levels by 2024
- Figure 3: UK ethnic foodservice (eat-in) market total value, 2017-27
- Popularity of ethnic takeaways to insulate market from cutbacks
- Figure 4: UK ethnic foodservice (takeaway) market total value, 2017-27
- Ethnic foodservice operators boost employee retention
- Figure 5: UK Job Vacancies (thousands) – accommodation and food services activities, 2012-22
- Companies and brands
- Market share
- Figure 6: number of selected ethnic restaurant outlets, 2019-23
- The consumer
- Chinese and Indian continue to face challenges from emerging cuisines
- Figure 7: Annual changes in types of ethnic restaurant or takeaway used, 2018-23
- Rising costs impact consumers’ decision-making process
- Figure 8: Impact of cost of living crisis on eating in/ordering a takeaway from an ethnic restaurant or takeaway, 2023
- The biggest ethnic flavour trends
- Figure 9: Interest in ordering emerging cuisines, 2023
- New ways to access ethnic takeaways
- Figure 10: Ethnic takeaway ordering channels, 2021-23
- Attitudes towards ethnic foodservices
- Figure 11: Attitudes towards ethnic cuisines, restaurants and takeaways, 2023
- The five-year outlook for the ethnic foodservice market
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Issues and Insights
- The impact of cost of living crisis on ethnic restaurants and takeaways
- Ethnic cuisines more accessible than ever
- Gaps in the ethnic restaurants and takeaways market
- Retail ranges
- White label services
- Hybrid meals
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Market Size and Performance
- UK ethnic foodservice market’s current trading remains strong
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- Figure 12: UK forecast for the value of the ethnic foodservice market, at current prices, 2017-22
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Market Forecast
- The five-year outlook for the ethnic foodservice market
- Figure 13: Category outlook, 2023-27
- Demand for dining out continues to recover whilst takeaways performing well above pre-pandemic levels
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- Figure 14: UK ethnic foodservice market total value, 2017-27
- Dine-in sector on track to reach 2019 levels by 2024
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- Figure 15: UK ethnic foodservice (eat-in) market total value, 2017-27
- Popularity of ethnic takeaways to insulate market from cutbacks
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- Figure 16: UK ethnic foodservice (takeaway) market total value, 2017-27
- Learnings from the last income squeeze
- Figure 17: Ethnic restaurants and takeaways market size, 2009-13
- Forecast methodology
- The five-year outlook for the ethnic foodservice market
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Market Drivers
- Headwinds impacting ethnic restaurants and takeaways
- Shortage of skilled chefs
- Cost of energy accounting for third of diner’s restaurant bill
- Figure 18: UK Job Vacancies (thousands) – accommodation and food services activities, 2012-22
- Foodie-ism drives adventurous eating
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- Figure 19: Food attitudes and behaviours, 2016-23
- Inflation will continue to eat into consumer spending power over the course of 2023
- Further interest rates increases will hit mortgage-holders
- High inflation and rising interest rates will compound the impact of the slowing recovery
- Consumer spending power will be curbed
- Low unemployment is helping underpin salary increases
- Consumers’ financial wellbeing has fallen from the highs of 2021…
- Figure 20: Household financial wellbeing index, 2016-23
- …and most people are feeling the effects of price rises
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Market Share
- Casual dining brands go big
- Figure 21: number of selected ethnic restaurant outlets, 2019-23
- Healthy concepts take root
- Fast foods grow their drive-through footprint
- Figure 22: Number of selected growth ethnic restaurants, 2023
- North is where it’s at
- Casual dining brands go big
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Launch Activity and Innovation
- Elevated ethnic concepts
- Indian
- Figure 23: Gunpowder to open Empire Empire in late spring 2023
- Ocakbasi
- Southeast Asian
- Mediterranean
- Fusion
- Flavoured chips
- Vegan options
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- Figure 24: Examples of plant-based dim sum items by OmniFoods, as seen at Hotel, Restaurant & Catering 2023
- New marketing strategies
- Omni-channel
- Student hub
- Discount voucher
- Free food
- Stickers
- Gaming app marketing
- Expanding dayparts
- Breakfast
- All-day snacking
- Late-night
- Beyond high streets
- Drive-throughs
- Kiosks in supermarkets
- Airport catering
- Shopping centres
- Food halls
- Figure 25: KellyDeli partnered with Tesco to launch Kelly’s Market, 2023
- Delivery-only
- Pub catering
- White labelling and franchising
- Retail ranges
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Annual Changes in Overall Usage
- Takeaways remain popular despite increased dine-in participation
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- Figure 26: Eat-in vs takeaway/home delivery usage, 2019-23
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Annual Changes in Popularity of Cuisine Types
- Chinese and Indian continue to face challenges from emerging cuisines
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- Figure 27: Annual changes in types of ethnic restaurant or takeaway used, 2018-23
- Eat-in participation has held up
- Figure 28: Annual changes in eat-in usage, 2019-23
- Ethnic takeaway usage has reduced after pandemic-induced spike
- Figure 29: Annual changes in takeaway/home delivery usage, 2019-23
- Slightly narrower repertoires as Britons become more risk averse
- Eat-in
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- Figure 30: Annual changes in repertoire of types of ethnic venues visited for takeaway/home delivery, 2021-23
- Takeaway
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- Figure 31: Repertoire of types of ethnic venues visited to eat in, 2021-23
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Impact of the Cost of Living
- Rising costs impact consumers’ decision-making process
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- Figure 32: Impact of cost of living crisis on eating in/ordering a takeaway from an ethnic restaurant or takeaway, 2023
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Emerging Cuisines
- Opportunity to tempt adventurous eaters with exciting ethnic cuisines
- Figure 33: Interest in ordering emerging cuisines, 2023
- Korean BBQ
- Figure 34: Interest in ordering Korean cook-your-own BBQ, 2023
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- Figure 35: Pochawa Grill in London’s Chinatown, 2023
- Japanese robata
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- Figure 36: Interest in ordering Japanese robata, 2023
- African regional cuisines
- Figure 37: Interest in ordering West African jollof rice, 2023
- Taiwanese snacks
- Figure 38: Behaviours towards Taiwanese wheelcake, 2023
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- Figure 39: Interest in ordering Taiwanese bubble tea, 2023
- Sri Lankan
- Figure 40: Interest in ordering Sri Lankan hoppers, 2023
- Caribbean
- Figure 41: Interest in ordering Latin American/Caribbean yuca fries, 2023
- Raw fish concepts
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- Figure 42: Interest in ordering poke and ceviche, 2023
- Opportunity to tempt adventurous eaters with exciting ethnic cuisines
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Ethnic Takeaway Ordering Channels
- Ethnic takeaways continue to complement at-home dining
- Figure 43: Ethnic takeaway ordering channels, 2021-23
- Agile takeaway formats that go to where consumers are
- Mobile concepts
- Multi-functions
- Ethnic takeaways continue to complement at-home dining
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Attitudes towards Ethnic Restaurants and Takeaways
- Adventurous eaters first seek to establish a foothold
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- Figure 44: Attitudes towards ethnic cuisines, restaurants and takeaways, 2023
- Scope for retail crossover
- Figure 45: Attitudes towards ethnic cuisines, restaurants and takeaways, 2023
- Demand for greater value for money
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- Figure 46: Attitudes towards ethnic cuisines, restaurants and takeaways, 2023
- Enjoyment and control top of mind
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- Figure 47: Attitudes towards ethnic cuisines, restaurants and takeaways, 2023
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Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
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Appendix – Forecast Methodology
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- Figure 48: UK ethnic foodservice market total value, 2017-27
- Figure 49: UK ethnic foodservice market forecast and prediction intervals, 2022-27
- Figure 50: UK ethnic foodservice (eat-in) market total value, 2017-27
- Figure 51: UK ethnic foodservice market (eat-in) forecast and prediction intervals, 2022-27
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- Figure 52: UK ethnic foodservice (takeaway) market total value, 2017-27
- Figure 53: UK ethnic foodservice market (takeaway) forecast and prediction intervals, 2022-27
- Market drivers and assumptions
- Forecast methodology
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