Brits love going out to eat. To find out the average spend per head in restaurants, OpenTable’s U.K. team recently ran a survey asking about their dining habits. The result? We found that Brits spend on average 25% of their annual income dining out.
Here are a few more key stats about UK dining habits:
Frequency
The study showed that on average Brits eat out 1.5 times a week, spending up to £53 ($83) per meal. That equates to roughly £4,166 ($6,523) spent dining out, or 25% of the average annual income. Another fun fact: 58% of Brits spend the majority of their income on food – more than they spend going out and buying clothes. With OpenTable’s Guest Frequency Report, you can track frequent visitors and check your guest’s average restaurant spend per head in any given shift.
Age
Millennials love to dine out. Even though people aged 55+ earn about 30% more than those aged between 18-24, the latter group eats out twice as much as their elders. The study showed that those aged 35+ value quality over quantity when it comes to dining; over half of them (57%) would rather have one expensive meal out than three cheap ones. In contrast, 71% of Gen Z diners prefer to eat out cheaply and more frequently instead of holding out for one lavish meal.
Location
People in Portsmouth eat out more frequently than any other city in the UK, on average 2.23 times a week. Dining out less than once a week, residents of Aberdeen and Aberystwyth eat out the least. Interestingly, those in Southampton and Liverpool seem to enjoy dining out the most – 87% of people in both cities chose eating out over having a meal at home.
Gender
Want to impress a British woman? Take her out to a restaurant. The study showed that women prefer dining out more than men do. 34% of women said they’d rather visit a restaurant for a special meal, compared to 29% of men.
“It is no surprise to discover that Brits are spending a healthy amount of their income on dining out,” says Mike Xenakis, managing director at OpenTable. “With the diverse quality and variety of food in the UK, there is more culinary choice for diners than ever before.”
Of course, several external factors can also affect the average spend per head in restaurants and restaurant sales in general: seasonality and the economic climate, amongst the others, are only two of the many factors to keep in mind when analysing restaurant spend.
Check our latest reports for more insights on dining habits in the UK
