Source: QSRmedia.co.uk, May 2026 Customer traffic fell by 2.3% in the first quarter. Customer traffic across the UK foodservice market fell by 2.3% in Q1 2026, marking the steepest decline since January 2024, as weaker consumer confidence, rising prices and shifting regional demand continued to pressure the sector. Data from Meaningful Vision showed fast-food traffic declined by 1.2% during the quarter, reversing the 1% growth recorded a year earlier. Casual dining and pub traffic fell even further, down 8%, following a 7% decline during 2025. The data was compiled by analysing more than 60,000 fast-food, coffee shop and casual dining outlets in the UK. Fast-food store expansion has slowed sharply, with outlet growth falling from 2.4% in Q1 2025 to 1.1% in Q1 2026. The slower pipeline has removed a key source of traffic uplift that supported market performance the previous year, compounding weaker like-for-like demand across the sector. More than half of leading fast-food chains are no...