There is evidence that pubs are seeing growth in food sales in the latest report from wholesale experts TWC Group, in partnership with food-to-go and out-of-home tracking programme MealTrak.
It shows that although out-of-home eating occasion in the UK were in-line with the previous year (to June 2023), last quarter saw growth of 13% with value rising in the quarter to £888m (+£102m).
This growth appears to be driven by pubs, up 16%, with restaurants remaining sluggish (down 1%).
The survey also suggests that people are returning to workplaces more often than last year with workplace catering in the food-to-go category up 29%.
Commenting on the results, Tom Fender, Development Director at TWC, said, “It is fantastic to see double-digit growth for food-to-go and out of home eating this period – and importantly this is not just in value terms (buoyed by inflation), but also the number of occasions, which were up +13% in the latest 12 weeks (vs. year ago). We’re also seeing significant changes below the surface of this topline performance, with foodservice channels catching back up with their retail counterparts.”
“Whilst ‘something inexpensive’ is the fastest growing mission this period, the shift in channels suggests that value perceptions are changing, and this mission does not necessarily always equate to a supermarket meal deal. Indeed, there is strong growth in this mission coming through coffee shops and sandwich specialists. Consumers are certainly still playing it safe though, with ‘regular favourite’ in strong growth, whilst ‘something a bit different’ remains firmly in decline. ‘Something sweet’ is also in strong growth this period, with cakes and pastries performing particularly well.”