Hotel restaurants to serve up 507 tonnes of turkey every day in December
According to a report by purchasing company Beacon, compiled with the help of food suppliers Bidvest Foodservice and Brakes and hotel consortium Best Western, hotels are bracing themselves for the forthcoming festivities where they'll also be expecting to serve up 302 tonnes of Christmas pudding throughout December.
This Christmas week alone will see 550 tonnes of turkey, 69.6 million chipolatas and 350 tonnes of stuffing served up in the UK's hotel restaurants where diners are also expected to spend more.
According to Bidvest Foodservice, the price of a three-course Christmas set menu has risen 13 per cent from £60.75 to £68.83 in the last year.
Beacon director of sales Tennant Hilditch said: "Our research and insight from our suppliers proves that customers are willing to pay more for their Christmas hotel experience and will subsequently have high expectations. Christmas can obviously have a huge impact on a property's profitability and businesses are investing significant amounts in order to create the perfect guest experience."
Confidence in Christmas
Not only will consumers be spending more on festive meals this year, they are also more likely to attend more of them. Last week Mitchells & Butlers said Christmas dinner bookings had risen more than 200 per cent since 2012 in their pub restaurants with 65 per cent of consumers surveyed by the chain planning to eat two Christmas dinners this year.
French restaurant chain Bistot Pierre is also opening its restaurants on Christmas Day for the first time in its 21 year history and online venue marketplace, Hire Space, has seen a 35 per cent increase in Christmas party bookings compared to 2014,
The business, which allows its customers to find and book space for events, exhibitions, conferences and more, said the average budget had also increased by 12 per cent for corporate bookings.
"There’s been a slow and steady uplift since the recession and this shows a confidence in the market," said Hire Space COO Edward Poland. "Christmas parties are an excellent way to say thank you and reward your team for their hard work, so it’s great to see companies willing to spend a bit more.”
