From Liverpool’s love of a big night out to London’s growing appetite for solo dining and Leeds’ last-minute reservations, the first EatClub Restaurant Index reveals how the UK’s eating out culture is evolving, and the surprising regional quirks and differences across some of the nation’s biggest cities.
The new study comes from EatClub, the discreet dining deals app helping the UK’s restaurants, cafés and bars fill spare tables. It has analysed dining behaviour across its UK operating cities to uncover the trends shaping Britain’s restaurant scene, and help British restaurants meet the nation’s drinking and eating out needs.
Scouse and proud: Liverpool takes the crown for social dining
When it comes to socially eating out, Liverpudlians are leading the charge. New data reveals that Liverpool diners are 62% more likely than Londoners to dine in groups of four or more.
Bristol follows closely behind, with diners 48% more likely than Londoners to eat out in larger groups, followed by Cardiff (+29%), Manchester (+25%) and Leeds (+20%).
Meanwhile, London tells a very different story, with the capital increasingly embracing smaller tables and solo dining.
Table for one: London’s solo dining revolution
Once considered an unpopular choice, eating alone is becoming an increasingly established part of London’s restaurant scene.
The new index revealed that solo diners’ share of tables has risen by almost a fifth compared to the same restaurants on the app one year ago.
Weekday lunchtime dining in the city has also risen nearly 50% year on year, compared to evening visits which have not seen the same surge.
The death of the dinner plan: Leeds plan to eat out just half an hour before taking their seats
Data reveals half of Leeds locals plan just 35 minutes before taking their seats.
And it’s not just them embracing the last-minute lifestyle. The index reveals how far in advance diners across the country are making their plans:
- London: 38 minutes
- Cardiff: 38 minutes
- Manchester: 38 minutes
- Liverpool: 61 minutes
- Bristol: 61 minutes
The great autumn food switch: Londoners swap chicken for steak as the nights draw in
As temperatures tumble and seasons change, the nation’s appetite is switching too. The new data reveals a seasonal shift in dining preferences and while it’s no surprise the public are moving away from casual summer favourites like fried chicken in favour of heartier sit-down meals, one dish is emerging as an autumn favourite in the capital: steak.
Steakhouses are proving particularly popular in the capital, their share of dining is up 41% on the summer, while Italian (−5%), Indian (−4%) and Chinese (−3%) dipped slightly.
When it comes to regional differences, preferences are clear. While steak takes favour in London, Leeds has turned to curry, with Indian restaurants up 40% since the summer. Manchester goes Middle Eastern (+24%), Cardiff prefers Italian (+27%), while Bristol looks to Asian food (+26%), and Liverpool heads for breakfast and brunch, up more than 70% since the summer.
Jamie Crummie, UK MD of EatClub, said: “Britain’s dining habits are ever-changing, and restaurants can’t afford to stand still. That’s why we’ve launched the EatClub Restaurant Index, to give the industry a clearer picture of changing customer behaviour and help them turn otherwise empty tables into opportunities.
“With the hospitality industry continuing to face significant cost pressures, being able to respond to how people want to dine, whether that’s a spontaneous dinner, a table for one or a big night out with friends, is more important than ever.”
As Britain heads into winter, EatClub expects bigger tables and earlier dinners. Last winter, the share of London bookings specifically, for groups of four or more rose by almost a quarter in December and stayed higher through January. And as the nights draw in, Londoners eat earlier.
At the same restaurants, the typical winter dinner booking was 15 minutes earlier than in summer, and the share of evening bookings after 9pm fell by around a fifth. For restaurants, the winter dinner rush starts earlier, so the 5–7pm tables matter most.
