Consumers craving meaty meals when dining out

Consumers craving meaty meals when dining out

With ongoing cost-of-living concerns, consumers appear to be dropping everyday eating out occasions and are instead prioritising occasion-led dining experiences. New research from the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board has explored new dining out trends and what cuisines consumers are willing to splash out on.

In the last year, food spend in the out-of-home market has reached £49.9 billion (Worldpanel by Numerator UK, 52 w/e 7 September 2025), fuelled by a 5.8% increase in average price paid. Inflation has hit a point where many consumers are unwilling, or unable, to pay, resulting in some people eating out less frequently or not at all.

So, what meals are enticing consumers to open up their wallets? According to Worldpanel by Numerator, meat-centred meals, which are typically British or American in nature (such as fried chicken, roast dinners, steak and sausages), make up the biggest portion of the eating out market. In the last year, 64% of GB adults have consumed a meat-centred meal outside of their home, with sales hitting £7.9 billion (52 w/e 15 June 2025).

Burgers and pizzas are also still hugely popular; however, they have lost share of the market through shoppers dropping the meals from their repertoire and loyal shoppers eating them less often. Other cuisines gaining share of the market are Asian and Indian. But also seeing significant growth, is Mexican, which has been the only category to recruit new shoppers.

Chicken takes the largest serving share of protein in meat-centred meals (62.4%), however it’s losing share due to lamb and beef seeing faster growth rates at 6.4% and 2.7% respectively (Worldpanel by Numerator UK, 52 w/e 15 June 2025).

It’s good news for livestock farmers, as in terms of what is driving this, roast lamb and beef have seen impressive double-digit volume growth in the last year, stealing share from chicken roasts. This demonstrates that when going out for a Sunday lunch, consumers are willing to trade up to elevate their experience.

Lead Retail Insight Manager at AHDB, Kim Heath, said: “It’s important for foodservice establishments to be aware of up-and-coming cuisines to aid business innovation through understanding evolving consumer needs and by identifying growth opportunities early.

“They should capitalise on creative world cuisines and communicate an elevated flavour experience via menu descriptions. Communicating quality credentials, such as the sourcing or butchery of the meat, also resonates with the three in four consumers who are quality-led when choosing a meal out (Lumina Intelligence, UK Menu & Food Trends Report, 2024).”

To read the full AHDB article, visit: https://ahdb.org.uk/news/consumer-insight-meaty-meals-increasing-popularity-out-of-home