UK Menu Trends Report 2023

The UK Menu Trends Market Report 2023 examines and discusses the latest foodservice industry trends, the impact of rising costs on consumers’ attitudes towards eating out and takeaway menus, and menu innovation. This report covers market drivers, menu launch activity, and annual changes in foodservice market consumer behaviour, and is primarily from Mintel’s exclusive primary research.

Foodservice Market Overview

Rising costs are impacting consumers’ decision-making process when it comes to dining habits. If needing to save money, UK adults are most likely to order takeaways less and dine out less often. Only 9% of consumers wouldn’t change anything in terms of their dining habits, if they needed to save money.

There is also a difference in response to rising costs between age groups. While over-55s would consider dining out less often, younger consumers would cut back on takeaways and trade down to value items and/or cheaper foodservices. Although some of the negative impact of inflation on market value will be offset by the rise in average order value, sales will become hard-earned.

Menu Trends and Opportunities

‘Foodie-ism’ has fuelled the trend for new foods or flavours, with young people most likely to identify as a ‘foodie’. This presents an opportunity for targeted menu innovation as these groups are most likely to pursue newness when it comes to menus.

Low-income earners are less likely to look for something new when eating out, unlocking an opportunity for more accessibly priced new items. Some brands are already setting the trend for adding new affordable flavour ranges, and more can follow suit to provide options for this consumer group.

One in three meat eaters who have reduced or limited the amount of red meat/poultry that they eat are classed as the ‘most adventurous’ eaters. This provides an opportunity to cater to this adventurous flexitarian consumer base by adding re-imagined flavours that bring an element of surprise.

• Dining trends: 78% of consumers agree that eating familiar dishes is comforting.
• Takeaway statistics: 51% of 16-34 year olds would order a takeaway at one restaurant over another if low-cost menu items were available.
• Eating out statistics: 32% of those who describe their financial situation as ‘healthy’ look for something new when eating out most or all of the time.

Future Menu Trends

As the flexitarian diet becomes entrenched into the British lifestyle, dishes that feature meat substitutes will translate to value items at the lower end of the foodservice market, while a quality positioning of British ingredients (e.g. farm-to-table) will fare well in the premium market.

In addition to the almost half of meat eaters who reduced the amount of red meat or poultry in the 6 months up to November 2022, a further 18% are interested in reducing/limiting the amount of red meat or poultry they eat in the future. Younger consumers are the group most likely to be encouraged to try meat-free dishes.

To discover more about UK Menu Trends, read our UK Eating Out Market Review, or take a look at our extensive Foodservice Market Research.

The UK foodservice market caters to both nostalgic and adventure-seeking consumers. On the one hand, they crave for foodservices to go back to their roots and focus on tried-and-tested recipes with a sense of nostalgia. On the other hand, consumers still have a taste for new cuisines, unlocking opportunities for operators to tempt them with a diverse and innovative menu.

Trish Caddy

Principal Analyst, Foodservice