Almost a third (32 per cent) of eating and drinking experiences outside the home were in coffee shops, cafes or sandwich bars between April and May according to the Taste of the Nation survey.
Pubs were next on the list, constituting 24 per cent of occasions, followed by bars (16 per cent). Fast food outlets accounted for 14 per cent of occasions while casual dining was at 7 per cent and formal dining at 4 per cent. Nightclubs had the smallest number of visits for eating and drinking at 3 per cent.
Outlook
While the survey, conducted by Deloitte and BDRC Continental, identified where people are going out to eat and drink, it also asked them about future plans with the outlook seeming positive for the sector over the next six months.
Despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the economic climate, consumers say they anticipate an increase of 1.4 per cent in the number of occasions they plan to go out to eat and drink over the next six months with that figure rising to 5.8 per cent for respondents in South East England. Only consumers in the North said they were less likely (2.7 per cent) to eat out in the next six months.
Jon Lake, a corporate finance director in the licensed retail group at Deloitte, said: “The results of this survey have helped us uncover evidence of what we've long suspected – eating and drinking out is much less dependent on overall consumer spending and confidence than it used to be. The findings demonstrate just how resilient British consumers are and their reluctance to reduce the frequency with which they go out, in particular the unfailingly optimistic 18 to 34 age group, or Generation Y.
“Whilst the coffee and sandwich shop is the most popular of destinations, currently, the main threat to the pub sector comes from bars, the more modern feel appealing to the tastes of the sociable Generation Y.":