Sales rose by just 0.3% , according to the latest NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker, marking the tracker’s lowest figure since February, and the first below-inflation growth since April.
Sales were hit by successive heatwaves in many parts of Britain in July, which led many consumers to dine out.
Continuing a long-term pattern, restaurants’ deliveries were substantially stronger than pick-up orders. Delivery sales rose by 4% from July 2025, having been partly boosted by demand from consumers watching games in the men’s football World Cup at home.
However, revenue from takeaway and click-and-collect orders fell by 8.1% year-on-year.
July’s increase means at-home orders now account for nearly a fifth of all sales. Combined deliveries and takeaways generated 19.8% of spending with restaurants in July 2026, compared to 14.4% two years ago.
“Strong topline growth in deliveries suggests positive trends for restaurants’ at-home sales,” says Karl Chessell, director - hospitality operators and food, EMEA at NIQ.
“However, with takeaways sharply down, it’s clear that much of July’s extra revenue was generated by a combination of new delivery offers, higher menu prices and a short-term boost from the World Cup.
”Overall sector sales in 2026 have been flat at best, so there are also concerns that deliveries and takeaways are cannibalising restaurants’ more profitable eat-in trading.
“Real-terms growth in all these channels is likely to remain extremely difficult for the rest of the year.”