Christmas dining trends: quick service top priority for men

The research, which surveyed 5000 adults across the UK, found that almost half of men were frustrated by having to wait a while for their food to arrive. This was the same when they were forced to wait when trying to pay the bill.

Women were less bothered by speed of the service, but more focused on the quality of it, with 25 per cent citing orders being taken incorrectly and poor service as their biggest frustrations at Christmas.

Zonal’s consumer insight specialist Clive Consterdine said: “At this time of year, our results definitely showed a trend for men becoming really frustrated if they weren’t served quickly and efficiently. Women tend to be more tolerant, with their main concerns being around feeling good about their dining out experience.”

One size won’t fit all​

The research showed that 57 per cent of men were bothered by not getting served at the bar quick enough during the festive season, whilst women were more bothered by ‘unfair’ queuing systems (23 per cent) and being served different food from what they ordered (25 per cent).

“Retailers need to take a different approach when targeting male and female customers, especially in the run up to Christmas,” added Consterdine. “ It’s clear that one size won’t fit all and that both sexes need different boxes ticking to make for a memorable night. 

“For men, it’s all about the speed of the experience, whereas women are more motivated by the softer elements of a night out; the experience, the interaction and the personal touch.”

Matters of technology​

The research also showed that males and female customers used technology differently when it came to eating out.

Men were more likely than women to use a mobile device to make things more efficient, whilst women used technology to get information about the restaurant beforehand, or to interact with the restaurant over social media.  

More than 60 per cent of women looked at a restaurant’s website before visiting, compared to only 47 per cent of men. The majority of women were most interested in looking at what was on the Christmas menu and checking when the opening hours were before deciding whether to visit or not.