UK Pizza and Pasta in Foodservice: 2026
Pizza and pasta remain popular out-of-home dining choices, benefitting from strong consumer familiarity, accessibility and versatility.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Outlook for pizza and pasta in UK foodservice
- Opportunities
- Add nutritional value without losing appeal
- Win family visits through a better children’s offer
- Make eating out feel worth paying for
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THE MARKET
- Market factors
- Most Britons still use foodservice despite slower sector recovery
- Graph 1: index of food and beverage service activities, 1997-2025
- Cost of wheat remains above pre-pandemic levels
- Graph 2: average milling wheat price per tonne, 2025-25
- Eating out purchases of pizza and pasta have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels
- Graph 3: eating out purchase quantities of pizza and pasta products, 2018/19 vs 2023/24
- HFSS rules reshape how demand is generated
- PizzaExpress customers split spend on delivery platforms and fast food chains
- Graph 4: PizzaExpress customers spend (%) on OOH, by merchant, 2026
- Traditional pizzeria models can expand beyond traditional channels
- Graph 5: out-of-home pizza or pasta dining channels used in the last 12 months, 2026
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THE CONSUMER
- Pizza and pasta fit a wide range of eating occasions
- Pizza reaches more consumers, pasta drives more regular use
- Pizza and pasta is a habitual out-of-home choice for young working-age adults and families
- Design for solo diners
- Graph 6: out-of-home pizza or pasta channels by used ‘on my own’, 2026
- Pizza and pasta succeed across multiple social occasions
- Family occasions remain core for out-of-home pizza and pasta
- Graph 7: past use and future interest in out-of-home pizza choices by dining with family members (excluding partner), 2026
- Nutrition upgrades add value without sacrificing indulgence
- Men are more likely than women to prioritise indulgence
- Functional nutrition is enhancing, not replacing, indulgence in pizza
- Graph 8: nutrition-based out-of-home pizza choices made and would do again, by gender, 2026
- Younger diners drive demand for protein or fibre upgrades in pasta dishes
- Graph 9: nutrition-based upgrades out-of-home pasta consumers are willing to pay extra for, by age group, 2026
- Parents are a high-value audience for pizza and pasta operators
- Parents of young children are a vital demographic
- Win family visits through trust
- Healthier children’s menu options offer a route to higher family spend
- Differentiate from competitors relying solely on traditional children’s menus
- Consumers pay more for distinctive pizza and pasta experiences
- Gen Z use eating out to explore new pizza and pasta flavours
- Pizza customisation creates opportunities for higher-value upgrades
- Handmade pasta supports premium pricing
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PRODUCT, INNOVATION AND MARKETING
- Reviews help drive trial
- Social media content drives discovery and demand
- Experiential and viral marketing offer new routes to engagement
- Operators explore automated retail to extend pizza availability
- Pizza operators tap into consumer demand for convenience
- International influences drive pizza and pasta innovation
- Tomato-free pasta becomes a platform for innovation and premiumisation
- Papa John’s Pizza navigates advertising rules
- Retailers are increasingly bringing affordable, bold and premium pizza and pasta occasions into the home
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APPENDIX
- UK dining leisure channel trends
- Graph 10: dining leisure channels used more than once in the last month, 2018-26
- Market definition
- The consumer
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- UK generation groups
- Other data source methodologies
- Mintel Spark
- Snoop SpendMapper methodology
- Abbreviations
"Demand for pizza and pasta remains, but growth will come from making these cuisines distinctive. Experience-led offerings, customisable menus and flavour innovations will make offerings feel worth eating out for."
Yogita Burke, Cross-category Research Analyst
Pizza and pasta remain popular out-of-home dining choices, benefitting from strong consumer familiarity, accessibility and versatility. However, foodservice output remains below pre-pandemic levels, reflecting continued pressures on both operators and consumers. Among Britons who haven’t eaten pizza or pasta out-of-home in the year to April 2026, 38% said cost was the main barrier.
Competition from convenient supermarket meal solutions, delivery platforms and fast food outlets means consumers no longer need to rely on traditional pizzerias to access these cuisines. In this environment, menu innovation and occasion-led experiences offer opportunities to stand out and give consumers reasons to choose eating out.
Indulgence remains central to the category, with 52% of UK out-of-home pizza or pasta consumers saying that indulgence matters more than health when eating these cuisines out-of-home. Demand for nutritionally enhanced upgrades is strongest among younger consumers, with almost half of 16-34s willing to pay extra for protein add-ons. This creates opportunities to build additional protein and fibre into popular dishes through add-ons, ingredients and alternative formats.
This Report Looks at the Following Areas:
- Market overview of pizza and pasta in UK foodservice, including purchase volume challenges, barriers to eating out and type of channels used
- Frequency of eating pizza or pasta out-of-home and how operators can appeal to diverse dining occasions
- Balancing health and indulgence in pizza and pasta offerings
- How operators can boost appeal, frequency and spend among parents of under-16s
- What defines uniqueness for out-of-home pizza or pasta consumers, with a focus on customisation and premiumisation
- Decision-making factors and what motivates out-of-home pizza or pasta consumers
Market Definitions
This report examines out-of-home consumption of pizza and pasta dishes across the UK foodservice sector, including QSR, pubs, casual dining, restaurants, takeaway outlets and leisure venues.
Note: This Report excludes retail consumption (chilled or frozen pizza and dried or fresh pasta) and focuses exclusively on out-of-home foodservice behaviour.
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