HOW WE EAT OUT

The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

Contents

Executive Summary from Joe Steele, CEO of Bookatable Chapter one - The diner view: How we book and dine Chapter two What shapes how and where we book Chapter three Tweet while you eat and share while youre there Our social media habits at the restaurant table Chapter four The restaurant view: industry issues Chapter ve Latest online and mobile bookings stats Chapter six A social media case study

03 05 06

08 09 12 13

HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

Executive summary from Joe Steele, CEO, Bookatable

2014 promises to be an interesting year for restaurants and diners in the UK. All the signs are that the economic recovery is picking up momentum and businesses are feeling more positive about their future. But with the increases in energy prices and the cost of living crisis, will this growing optimism be reected in how people dine out and how restaurants communicate with their diners and manage their restaurants? As Europes leading restaurants reservations service, delivering more than 20m diners to 10,000 European restaurants in 2013, Bookatable is in a unique position to gain insight into how we eat in the UK and how this impacts the restaurant sector. In December 2013, we surveyed more than 200 restaurants for the fourth year in a row and for the rst time we also surveyed 5,000 Bookatable diners. We asked them for their views on everything from how often they eat out to the impact of energy prices on food costs. And the results have certainly given us something to chew on! The most interesting results from this years surveys of diners and restaurants are:

1. British is best: When it comes to picking where we eat, four out of

ten Brits are opting for local cuisine.

2. Celebrity sells: Our research reveals that celebrity chefs are still
attracting the masses to their restaurants, with 71% of us eating

HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

Sharing food images is a growing trend. The Index reveals that 34% of diners upload a picture to their social prole whilst they are still sitting in a restaurant.

out at a celebrity chef-owned eatery in the last year.

3. TV shows are a big inuencer: Its not just celebrity chefs that
impact our dining decisions, but what we watch on TV. When asked which foodie TV shows have persuaded them through the door of a dining venue in the past year, Jamie Oliver came out on top, with nearly half (42%) of people admitting that watching Jamies TV show prompted them to eat out.

4. Pop-ups not worth the wait: The single biggest barrier to dining
at a pop up is the length of time we have to queue for a table with two thirds (62%) of us unwilling to queue outside for a restaurant, and a further 60% of us refusing to wait a long time for a table, even if theyre inside.

5. Customer reviews still the deciding factor: The research reveals

nearly half (44%) of us rate reviews as the most important deciding factor when picking a restaurant.

6. Sharing food images a growing trend: The Index reveals that 34%
of diners upload a picture to their social prole whilst they are still sitting in a restaurant. There are over 84 million photos tagged food on Instagram, highlighting the social buzz and interest around food photography.

7. Energy impacts prot: The UK restaurant industry has been

hit hard by the recent energy price hikes and rising food costs. According to the latest Bookatable Dining Index, 90% of restaurants say that energy prices have made them reassess menu prices in the last six months.

8. Food cost ination continues to affect menu prices: Another key

concern facing restaurateurs is food cost ination. The Index reveals eight out of ten restaurants believe rising food costs have had the greatest impact on menu prices in the last six months. This concern over food pricing echoes the sentiment of the 2013 Dining Index, when it was cited as the cost base that had seen the biggest recent increase, overtaking rent and rates in the list of restaurant expenditures, and coming second only to staff wages.

9. Importance of social media to restaurants grows: In 2013, nearly

half (48%) of restaurants said they were actively using Twitter and 73% using Facebook. In 2014, this has increased to 65% and 76% respectively.

HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

We spend on average 32 on food when dining out and 16 on alcohol.

HOW WE EAT OUT The Bookatable Dining Index 2014 The diner view: How we book and dine
The majority of us (57%) eat out once a week or more, with one in ve (20%) visiting restaurants twice a week and more than one in ten (13%) dining out almost every other day. When it comes to social media sharing, our food experiences and dining habits make popular subject matter as the latest Bookatable Dining Index reveals the rise of citizen food critics. Bookatable surveyed over 5,000 diners to unveil how the nation likes to eat and what has inuenced our eating out habits.

The UKs food habits

According to the research, we spend on average 32 on food when dining out and 16 on alcohol. Over half of us (56%) would most like to share a meal out with a long-term partner, followed by one in ve (23%) that most like to feast with the family. Nearly one in ve (19%) opt for getting a group of friends round the restaurant table, and only 2% choose it primarily for a date. British is best when it comes to picking where we eat, with four out of ten Brits opting for local cuisine. Only Italian food comes close to our love of home grub, with exactly a third (33%) making it their top choice when eating out. This is followed by Indian (11%), French (9%), Thai (3%), American (2%) and Spanish (2%). What kind of food do you most commonly eat when you dine out?
American 2%

Indian 11% Spanish 2%

Thai 3%

%
Italian 33% French 9%

British 40%

HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

The research reveals that celebrity chefs are still attracting the masses, with 71% of us eating out at a celebrity chef-owned eatery last year.

The Celeb-Factor
TV shows like the Great British Bake Off and MasterChef, and the social media world, are two major inuencers on our eating out habits. The research reveals that celebrity chefs are still attracting the masses to their restaurants, with 71% of us eating out at a celebrity chef-owned eatery in the last year. Its not just celebrity chefs themselves, but also their TV programmes, that impact our dining decisions. When asked which foodie TV shows have persuaded them through the door of a dining venue in the past year, Jamie Oliver came out on top, with nearly half (42%) of people admitting that watching Jamies TV show prompted them to eat out.
American (40%) and Great British Bake Off This was followed by MasterChef Thai

(26%). The Caxton3% Grill is one restaurant with rst-hand experience Indian
11% of the trend: Spanish 2%

2%

Since Adam Handlings appearance and performance to get him to the nal on BBCs Masterchef: The Professionals, we have seen British
40% an increase of interest from diners about our restaurant and have

been far busier than before. The shows popularity has continued to really boost business. We have received a lot of bookings for Adam
Italiantasting menu this January. Adams pistachio cake is one Handlings

of the most popular dishes after making its debut on the show! Gemma Wren Catering Sales Manager, Caxton Grill 9% Which of the following TV shows have prompted you to eat out at a bakery, caf, or restaurant in 2013?
French

33%

26.3
Great British Bake Off

42
15.7
The Hairy Bikers

40.4
12.6
Nigel Slater Masterchef

Jamie Oliver

11.1
Man v Food

10.8
Nigella Lawson

3.3

The Trip

Italian 33%

HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014 French 9%

Two thirds (62%) of us are unwilling to queue outside for a restaurant, and a further 60% of us refuse to wait a long time for a table, even if theyre inside.

The data also reveals that Jamie Oliver was the most booked celebrity chef in 2013, for the third year running. There have been almost half a million (470,000) bookings for Jamies Italian restaurants made via Bookatable and its partners during 2013. With 26.3 is estimated that Jamies Italian achieved approximately 4.5million Great

42 bookings up 24% year-on-year, and covers up by 17% year-on-year, it

British 15.7 site, bookatable.com (based on average from the consumer spend of Jamie

40.4 Oliver 30 per cover, with cancellations and no shows excluded).

Bake Off The Hairy Bikers

12.6
Nigel

Masterchef the nation, the Although celebrities and TV shows have inuenced

research interestingly Slater highlighted a number of factors that have stopped us trying the latest celebrity restaurant or pop-up. The Man 3.3 10.8 v Food single biggest barrier to dining at a pop up is the length of time we have to queue for a table.
Nigella Lawson The Trip

11.1

Would any of the following factors deter you from going to a pop-up or celebrity restaurant?

63.7
Waiting a long time for a table

62.3
Standing outside in the cold

60.1
Not being able to book
so unable to guarantee if youll get a table

34.6
Location

According to the survey, the British public would be more inclined to dine at a restaurant where they can reserve a table rather than wait outside in a rst-come-rst-served system. Two thirds (62%) of us are unwilling to queue outside for a restaurant, and a further 60% of us refuse to wait a long time for a table, even if theyre inside. Restaurant reviews were another factor that inuenced how we dined Personal blog in 2013. With sites like1.2% TripAdvisor popular amongst consumers, Pinterest 0.3% Instagram every diner today has the potential to become a powerful food critic.
Twitter The research reveals nearly half (44%) 0.3% of us rate reviews as the most 3.6% Food/drink blog important deciding factor when picking a restaurant. 3.6% Google+ 5.7% 3.5% Flickr photo Snapchat 0.9%

26.3
Great British Bake Off

HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

42
15.7
The Hairy Bikers

40.4
12.6
Masterchef

Jamie Oliver

34% of diners upload a picture to their social prole whilst they are still sitting in a restaurant.

Nigel 11.1 Bookatable comments, We see Joe Steele, Chief Executive Ofcer, Slater

3,000 reviews globally a month. Reviews are an opportunity for

v Food restaurateurs to see what theyre doing well and what they need to Nigella to voice their concerns improve on; they also give diners a chance The Trip or champion their favourite eateries. It is not a surprise to us that Lawson Man

10.8

3.3

reviews are rated so highly with diners; we expect this trend to continue to gather speed in 2014.

Foodbook
When it comes to social media sharing, our food experiences and dining habits make popular subject matter as the latest Bookatable Dining Index reveals the rise of citizen food critics. We are a nation of social foodies with diners sharing, liking34.6 and booking restaurants in line with their Facebook newsfeed. According
Waiting a to the research, nearly one in veoutside (18%)in diners will able to look book up a long time
so unable to get a table

63.7

62.3

60.1

Standing

Not being

Location

the cold for a table restaurant after seeing a Facebook friend check-in there, and 14% go guarantee if youll

on to book a table after seeing a friend post positively about it. A further 11% of us asked their Facebook friends for a recommendation before booking a restaurant. Which kind of social media post about eating out do you most often make?
Personal blog 0.9% Pinterest 0.3% Flickr photo 0.3%

Snapchat 1.2% Instagram 3.5% Twitter 3.6% Food/drink blog 3.6% Google+ 5.7%

%
Other 36%

Facebook photo 46%

HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

Share while youre there: There are over 84 million photos tagged food on Instagram

The Index also reveals a share while youre there trend: over a third (34%) of diners will upload a picture to a social media venue whilst they are still sitting in a restaurant. Facebook is the primary outlet for this, as the research shows that nearly half (46%) of us share foodrelated posts on Facebook more than any other social media channel. There are over 84 million photos tagged food on Instagram*, highlighting the social buzz and interest around food photography[1]. Bookatable introduced a social sharing capability to its reservation tool last year, which allows diners to share their restaurant reservation on Facebook or create an event to encourage friends to enjoy the same dining experience. In December 2013, 6,000 diners shared their restaurant booking via the Bookatable booking software. Joe Steele, Chief Executive Ofcer, Bookatable comments: Food is an incredibly social activity, so it is no surprise it is one of the main topics dominating our online prole. What we eat, and where we dine is an important part of our daily lives and its a growing trend to share feedback and visual mementos both of the good and the bad.

The restaurant view: What challenged us in 2013

The UK restaurant industry has been hit hard by the recent energy price hikes and rising food costs. The Index, based on interviews with over 200 UK restaurants and supported by industry data, examined the challenges facing the restaurant sector. Despite over half (68%) of restaurants adopting measures to cut their energy usage in the last year, the vast majority (90%) say that rising energy costs have made them re-assess menu prices in the last six months. Aside from the short term impact, rising energy costs are predicted to stie growth in the hospitality sector. According to research by Intenco, six out of ten hospitality owners believe they will be unable to meet their growth targets due to punitive energy costs.

*Based on Bookatables own research

Standing Not being Location Waiting a in - The able to book Dining Index 2014 HOW WE outside EAT OUT Bookatable long time so unable to the cold for a table guarantee if youll
get a table

Nearly all (88%) restaurant owners have witnessed customers taking pictures of their food in the restaurant.

JohnDyson, Food Adviser at the British Hospitality Association comments, The latest Bookatable Dining Index highlights the issues restaurants have been tackling in the last six months. Higher energy Personal blog
0.9% Snapchat bills and rising food costs have made it much tougher for restaurant 1.2% Pinterest 0.3% owners to grow their business or remain protable. During the Instagram 3.5% Flickr photo

Twitter recovery phase, restaurants will need to focus on the areas that can 0.3% 3.6% make a difference to their business whether thats hiring the right Food/drink blog 3.6% talent, being more marketing savvy or adopting new technology that Google+ true ROI. delivers 5.7%

Tackling food costs and waste

Another key concern facing restaurateurs is food cost ination. Bookatables 2013 Dining Index revealed that food prices had overtaken rent and rates in the list of overheadsFacebook facing UK restaurants, coming second only to staff wages,46% and the 2014 Dining Index now shows that the cost of food remains the biggest expenditure for one in ve (20%). Other
36% photo

Please rank the following expenditures from highest to lowest for your restaurant. (1 highest, 8 lowest)

6.98

6.54 5.84 4.04

3.61

3.49

3.02

2.49

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M ar ke t

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Fo od

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Currently use Plan to use Do not plan to use

10

Online bookings

Facebook

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HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

Eight out of ten restaurants believe rising food costs have had the greatest impact on menu prices in the last six months. Industry experts estimate that food pricing will continue to rise at a rate above ination until at least 2018. When asked what measures they have introduced to reduce costs in the last six months, over half (60%) of restaurants say they have actively started to monitor food waste and almost a third (28%) have reduced portion sizes to avoid binning uneaten food. The Waste Resources Action Programme estimates that the hospitality sector loses 2.5 billion per year through food ending up in the bin a gure which is expected to rise. The Bookatable data shows 70% of restaurants consider food wastage to be a huge concern for their business. Restaurants have the highest costs associated with food wastage in the hospitality industry; estimated at 682 million in total and an average of 10,000 per year for each outlet*.

Social dining and the power of reviews

Eating out has become more of a social experience, with customers using mobiles to share their dining experience on social networks. Nearly all (88%) restaurant owners have witnessed customers taking pictures of their food in the restaurant. In 2013, nearly half (48%) of restaurants said they were actively using Twitter and 73% using Facebook. In 2014, this has increased to 65% and 76% respectively. Whilst a large proportion of social media buzz around eating out is positive uploading a photo of a nice meal or checking in at a restaurant this new wave of food critics poses a risk to restaurateurs. The majority (86%) of them believe that bad reviews have a negative impact on their business.

*Overview of waste in the UK Hospitality and Food Service (HaFS) sector, November 2013

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HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

ol og y g os t os t os t ar ke tin Ra te s C os t C C C C
Currently use Plan to use Do not plan to use Online bookings Facebook Mobile bookings Twitter Targeted offers

En er gy

Fo od

Be ve ra ge

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Nearly a third of all online restaurant bookings now come through mobile devices, a gure that will only rise with the spread of 4G
Joe Steele, CEO of Bookatable

Which of the following technologies are you currently using/plan to use in the next six months?

Re nt an d

Fr an ch i

Four Square

Google+ Instagram

Whilst technology remains the second lowest expenditure for restaurant owners, 88% of restaurants are now reaping the benets of online bookings technology compared to 68% six months ago. The 2014 Bookatable Dining Index also shows the continued rise in both online and mobile bookings across the industry. In 2013, the volume of bookings made online increased by 21% compared to 2012. Of those online bookings, almost a third (32%) were made on smartphone and tablet devices was over 30%, up from 13% at the end of 2011. Nearly a third of all online restaurant bookings now come through mobile devices, a gure that will only rise with the spread of 4G. The fact is, so many consumers now rely entirely on smartphones for communication and interaction with businesses that restaurants risk cutting themselves off from both new and existing customers if they dont join in, concludes Joe Steele, CEO of Bookatable.

12

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HOW WE EAT OUT - The Bookatable Dining Index 2014

Sticks n Sushi A Social Media Case Study

The Sticks n Sushi brand has two London restaurants - Wimbledon and Covent Garden - and both have worked with the full Bookatable system since their openings in 2012 and 2013 respectively. Vikki ONeill is in charge of the Sticks n Sushi social media presence in the UK.

Objectives
To use social media to provide excellent customer service and attract new diners to the restaurant.

Challenges
Vikki, a freelance marketing consultant with over 12 years experience of working with some of the most popular restaurant groups such as Giraffe and Wagamama, was tasked with giving the Sticks n Sushi brand a compelling and engaging presence on social media, where competition to stand out from competitors is hotter than ever.

Social Platforms Used

Twitter Facebook Instagram Pinterest

Approach
Using the photogenic and beautifully presented dishes at Sticks n Sushi, Vikki posts various food images and photos of the immaculately designed restaurant interior to capture the imagination of fans and followers. They have a policy to always respond to customer interaction, and will post pictures of staff and random musings, to make the brand worth following. Vikki also works closely with the team in the restaurants so they understand and get involved with social media too.

Results
As a well-known restaurant, they often nd people recommending the restaurant to new diners searching for different places to try sushi. As a courtesy, Vikki makes sure she thanks customers for every recommendation and also secures a booking for the new diner. She will then often add a note to the booking to ask the staff to offer them a dish on the house to try. This adds surprise to the experience and a genuine feeling of being well looked after; bringing a tangible benet to social media interaction. If a customer was complaining on any social media platform, Sticks n Sushi are quick to respond, apologise and ask for more information via a private message. They can then make amends and hopefully turn a bad experience into a positive one for the customer. Social media gives us the opportunity to go over and above expectations and go the extra mile in terms of customer service. Vikki ONeill, Social Media Manager, Sticks n Sushi Social media was a key driver in the build-up to the opening of the Covent Garden branch. The Wimbledon branch had already given the brand an active fan base, so they could capitalise on the hype for the second opening, or any new menu items, by utilising fans on social media. Chelsea footballer (@dembabafoot) tweeted about his meal, exposing their brand to over 850, 000 of his followers. Similarly, after sending a platter to the team at Heat Magazine(@heatworld), they also tweeted to say thank you, giving the brand extra exposure to 340, 000 followers. Tweets like this are great for brand awareness but quite often it is a tweet sent by a guest who has just enjoyed a fantastic night with us that is equally special Vikki ONeill, Sticks n Sushi

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