Customers visiting foodservice outlets in the UK rose to almost 60% of pre-lockdown levels in the last two weeks, as the government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme proves its worth by luring customers back into restaurants and pubs.
Huq’s Restaurants & Pubs Index shows that since the scheme launched on 3 August, visits to restaurants have increased rapidly – climbing from 38pts to 55pts (a 44% increase). Footfall across Pubs and Quick Service Restaurants has also increased in August, with the total average across all three categories holding at around half of their pre-lockdown levels.
Prior to the introduction of the scheme, Huq’s composite indicator across restaurants, QSR and pubs had been averaging in the early-40pts since around the time that dine-in re-opened on July 4th.
With reports showing strong appetite for the scheme and some 10.5 million meals taken up in the first week alone, Huq’s geo-data also shows strong attendance at foodservice outlets on Monday-Wednesday, usually the quietest days for the sector; 10-12 August produced attendance results of around 49pts, equivalent to the Indicator’s highest readings to date for any day of the week.
While Chancellor Sunak’s scheme has clearly given a much-needed boost for the UK’s hospitality sector, time will show how this trend survives when customers have to pick up the bill for themselves. Over the coming days and weeks Huq will continue to monitor changes in these outputs and how attendance shifts over time.
To learn more about the data behind this article and what Huq has to offer, visit https://huq.io/.
Sign up to receive our stories in your inbox.
Data is changing the speed of business. Investors, Corporations, and Governments are buying new, differentiated data to gain visibility make better decisions. Don't fall behind. Let us help.
Sign up to receive our stories in your inbox.
Data is changing the speed of business. Investors, Corporations, and Governments are buying new, differentiated data to gain visibility make better decisions. Don't fall behind. Let us help.
