In a recent report carried out by Caterer.com it was found that one in every four people who walk into a UK restaurant will have a dietary requirement of some kind. The report asked 2,000 people with dietary requirements about their eating out habits, and it turns out that, far from being a burden, they’re a huge opportunity for UK restaurants.
The report highlighted the demographic of those questioned and found they were likely to be under the age of 35, identifed as female or non-binary, live in an urban area or on an income of £50,000 or more.
The most common dietary requests across the UK are Allergic or intolerant to certain ingredients (30%), Vegan (9%), Vegetarian (22%), Pescetarian (9%), No meat or in moderation (18%) and those with a religious or culture reason (8%)
The report also highlighted that the selective diner were willing to spend more on dining out with the average spend based at £22.67, with the Allergic or intolerant to certain ingredients average spend £33.47, showing the potential to increase your customer base and profit margin when providing a safe customer experience.
The report stated if restaurants choose to fulfill the demands of people with dietary requirements, the benefits can be huge. With the current revenue of UK restaurants valued at £40bn, there is a potential to gain a market share of £9bn
Many UK restaurants are already moving in the right direction. But what is that selective eaters are looking for? Here’s the wish list from selective eaters themselves… via the Caterer.com report
Top 5 things selective eaters want from restaurants
- 49% want staff to be educated about allergies and intolerances
- 43% would like flexibility when it comes to meal substitutions
- 43% think allergens should be listed on menus
- 40% would like to see menu items for dietary requirements updated as frequently as regular menu items
- 35% want to be able to see a list of ingredients for each menu item (either in the menu or on request)
To see the full report click on the link https://www.caterer.com/insights/selective-eating/
