UK | British diners now prefer to eat from fast food restaurants instead of traditional pubs and restaurants, marking a shift for the sector.
New research released shows that British diners are increasingly turning their backs on the traditional pub and restaurant meal out, instead opting for ‘fast casual’ options, such as Nando’s and Wagamama, or premium fast-food outlets, like Five Guys and Wingstop.
According to Meaningful Vision’s full-year 2025 data, which tracked consumer traffic, pricing, promotions, and store openings across more than 60,000 top UK fast food and casual dining outlets, restaurant and pub visits fell by -6.8 percent last year, while fast-food traffic rose by 0.9 percent over the same period.
Despite fast food proving more resilient, absorbing visits lost by restaurants and pubs, overall demand remains fragile. The sector’s growth was driven primarily by expansion, with outlet numbers rising by nearly 2 percent, resulting in a -1 percent decline in like-for-like fast-food visits (stripping out the impact of new openings).
Bakeries accounted for the highest number of new store openings, with Greggs launching the most of any fast-food brand last year. However, chicken chain Popeyes was the fastest-growing brand in percentage terms, as its UK expansion continued.
Performance also varied sharply by fast-food segment. Chicken restaurants were the strongest performers, with footfall up 5.9 percent year-on-year; followed by coffee shops, which recorded 3.6 percent growth; and bakery and sandwich shops, which added 2.6 percent. Other categories struggled to maintain momentum; burger chain visits fell by -2.9 percent, while ethnic fast-food formats declined by -1.6 percent, reflecting fiercer competition and growing price sensitivity among consumers.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) showed that food and beverage prices continued to rise significantly, up 4.5 percent year-on-year between December 2024 and 2025, indicating a 1.2 percent rise for the calendar year. However, the cost of fast food has run even hotter, with a 7.7 percent year-on-year rise to December and a 2.6 percent increase for 2025, more than twice the rate of retail prices.
While expected, this reflects the higher cost base in foodservice, largely driven by labour costs, which typically account for up to 35 percent of operating costs, alongside higher property taxes, and rising food input prices. The rising cost of beef likely led to burger outlets recording the steepest menu price increases at around 10 percent year-on-year, compared to the historically more competitive pizza segment, which saw the lowest increase at 3 percent.
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