Pubs and restaurants have had an enormously tough time during the coronavirus lockdowns, but with the country starting to open up again, hopefully the hospitality industry will be able to take advantage of customers looking to make up for lost time. Food supplier Aviko surveyed consumers about the reopening of hospitality and found that there is real reason for optimism for the food and drink sector.
Here are some of the findings and how your hospitality business can take advantage of them to make the most of the loosening of restrictions across the UK.
People Want Meals
One of the most striking results of the survey was that the Great British public appear to have missed eating out more than anything else since the virus struck. Of the respondents, 59% said they were looking forward to a meal with family when they can all get together. That is followed by a meal with their partner (48%) and a meal with friends (42%).
Of course, customers are still looking forward to drinks with friends (39%) and their other half (25%), but the main focus appears to be those long-awaited catch ups over platefuls of delicious food.
This means that restaurants and pubs must make their menus wide ranging enough to appeal to the whole family. With so many customers expected to turn up wanting sustenance for everyone from granny to the toddler, those venues that will thrive are the ones who can provide something for everyone, including catering for a range of dietary requirements.
Whilst these families enjoy the balmy spring and summer nights in your beer garden, they may want to toast their reunion. For this reason, you should be sure to order in our outdoor-friendly, recyclable champagne glasses, made from virgin food-grade polystyrene.
Pub Grub is in Demand
There is one type of food that has been difficult to come by in lockdown. Whereas you can always order in a pizza, curry, Chinese meal at the drop of a hat, there are fewer or even zero home delivery options for good old pub grub.
As a general public, we have missed the traditional inn fayre whilst we have been locked out of our favourite hospitality venues. So now these businesses are open again, this is what we are craving. The survey found that 60% of those questioned would be seeking out pub grub for their first dining experience.
Roast dinners, pies, chips, hearty sandwiches and the like are high on the priority list. Make sure you serve them a range of classic dishes in our eco-friendly, recyclable and compostable food trays. Your customers get to enjoy a hearty meal together and everyone involved can be happy in the knowledge you are doing everything you can to minimise the effect on the environment.
More Meals More Often
Of course, there are people who are wary about heading out to hospitality for the next few months. And that is understandable, given the pandemic that we have witnessed. However, only 6% said that they definitely wouldn’t visit a pub or restaurant soon. A massive 54% said they were more than happy as long as social distancing measures and mask-wearing were a feature of the venue they visited.
This is very important to remember. People are still conscious that there is a risk, however much it diminishes. If you want to take advantage of the influx of customers, you have to show them that you have their safety at the front of your mind at all times. If not, more than half of customers will go somewhere else that does.
And it is worth making hospitality inviting and safe. A huge 94% of those surveyed said they would visit a pub or restaurant at least once a month. 27% said they would visit weekly and 20% pledged to eat and drink out more than once a week. These are very encouraging numbers for those in the trade.
If you want to show that you are on top of hygiene at all times, we have a hygiene and janitorial section, full of products to help you keep your business pristine and to reassure customers that you are doing all you can to maintain a healthy environment for them to meet their friends and family now that the world is reopening and we can finally get back to socialising with those that we love.
