Participation in the eating out market was down 0.6 percentage points in the four weeks to 22 December, according to Lumina’s Latest Eating and Drinking Out (EDOP) snapshot.
High inflation and concerns over the economy led to a dent in confidence in people going out over Christmas, with growth in the market driven by a smaller but more engaged cohort of consumers, who are eating out more frequently and spending more per visit year on year, rather than by festive seasonality alone, according to Lumina.
Average weekly frequency was up 3.2% and average spend per visit was up 4.8%.
The QSR category experienced the biggest increase in channel share (+0.8ppt), as cautious consumers look for eating occasions that are convenient and cost effective.
In December, consumers chose familiar, comfort-led dishes, and a preference for easy, crowd-pleasing formats during the festive period, according to the data, with the largest growth in burgers ad pizza.
Coffee and sandwiches saw the biggest decline year on year.