UK pubs losing dinner to breakfast

Pubs in the UK are losing share of the important dinner day-part of their business but are increasing their share of the growing breakfast occasion according to exclusive research from MCA, a leading research insight agency across the UK’s foodservice & eating out sectors.

 

 

 

 

The insight comes from MCA’s exclusive Quarterly Pub Brand Monitor underpinned by its Eating Out Panel comprising 6,000 consumer interviews every month.

The sample is representative of UK adults over 18 as well as gender and region and covers every day of the year.

The results look at the overall pub sector in the UK, how individual brands and consumer trends are performing.

The report indicates that pubs’ share of total out-of-home dinners fell 0.5 percentage points to 27.5% in Q1 2019 but increased by 1 percentage point to 11.4% at breakfast, the fastest growing day-part in the total Eating Out market which sees pubs responsible for one in 10 eating-out breakfasts.

Spending time with a partner and social occasions are two of the biggest missions for pub dinners.

In addition, the mix of what consumers are ordering for both food & drink in pubs is changing, reports the study.  There has been a decline in alcohol purchasing, down from 57% to 55% of pub visits due to a significant fall in beer. Last year’s most popular pub dinner, steak, is down from 13.4% to 10.8%, leaving beef burger as the top dish.

“Dinner is a huge day-part for the pub sector” says Gareth Nash, Insights Director at MCA, “it’s the largest food-led occasion from a volume and value perspective. Pubs are seen as a great venue for social occasions so utilising promotions that attract couples and social groups is one way for pubs to regain share. Furthermore, good value is a key catalyst for consumers choosing a particular pub.

“Breakfast is the fastest growing day-part across the total eating out market and pubs are getting their share of growth. However, this isn’t driven by the traditional full English. Although this remains the most popular choice at breakfast, it has fallen 8.8 percentage points year-on-year.

The trend towards healthier eating is evolving in pubs, with eggs, bagels and cereal all growing their share at breakfast.”

For more information and to find out how you can access the MCA Pub Brand Monitor get in touch with MCA.