Food-To-Go Still Accounts For 1 In 4 Out Of Home Occasions
The latest quarterly update to the Lumina Intelligence UK Food To Go Market Report shows 28% of visits made to a foodservice operator in the 12 weeks to 5 September were consumed on the go.
This is down from 1 in 3 in the previous 12 weeks, showing that consumers have moved more to on premise drinking and dining as restrictions eased.
The places food-to-go is most consumed is sitting down somewhere such as a park (8%), in a car, train, or bus (8%), while walking around (7%), and at work (6%)
The research shows that food-to-go consumers are more likely to be ABC1 (64% vs 36%), aged 25-34 (27%), female (55% vs 45%), and live in London (17%) or the South East (12%).
‘Was out and about’ is the leading mission (22%) driving FTG occasions. A treat is the second-largest occasion at 14%, displaying the opportunity for operators to introduce more premium ranges to drive upsell and increase consumer spend.
Lumina Intelligence data shows the vast majority (78%) of food led food-to-go visits continue to include savoury food. As expected, options that are easy to eat on the go, such as sandwiches, wraps and burgers are preferred by consumers. The most purchased options include sandwiches/wraps, burgers and fries driven by the brands dominating the market.
McDonald’s is the dominating brand in food-to-go with a 10% share of occasions. Greggs and Costa Coffee come in second and third with a 9% share each. McDonald’s, Greggs and Costa have a high share due to a high number of outlets and a strong presence in a diverse range of locations including suburban towns, travel hubs, commuter belt towns and city centres.
Katherine Prowse, Senior Insight Manager at Lumina Intelligence, commented: “Despite restrictions easing and consumers returning to their favourite dine-in restaurants, pubs and cafes, food-to-go still accounts for over one-in-four out of home occasions. With the continuation of hybrid working and reduced city centre footfall, this highlights the resilience of the channel and the important role it continues to play in recovery.
“Proximity, previous experiences and value for money are the key reasons driving consumers to choose a particular food-to-go outlet. Ease of ordering across the food-to-go channel is the area that satisfies consumers the most. Operators have continued investment in touchscreen and kiosk ordering and this will be a key driver for food-to-go growth.”
