Trust in hygiene and social distancing will be top of the menu this summer when foodservice lockdown fully ends
Global information company The NPD Group says results from its second COVID-19 British Foodservice Sentiment Study show that trust will be an important issue when foodservice operators re-open for business this summer. Almost six out of 10 respondents (58%) said restaurants and bars are the riskiest places to be infected with COVID-19, and nearly two thirds (64%) said they will only select restaurants, bars, cafes and other establishments that they trust.
Yet despite associating foodservice establishments with COVID-19 risks, 63% of British consumers say they will return to restaurants, bars or cafes in the first month these places re-open. But there’s a caveat. Three quarters (76%) stated that good hygiene will be a more important factor in choosing a restaurant than before the lockdown. The same percentage say they want to see strict rules to ”prevent contagion” and 74% prefer restaurants that can ”guarantee social distancing”.
The NPD survey shows a clear majority of consumers still approve of the UK’s COVID-19 lockdown of foodservice. In March 2020, 62% of respondents agreed with the policy and this has now increased slightly to 64%. What have people missed most as they stayed home? Top of the list is spending time with family (39%), socializing with friends (37%), and eating something special they cannot cook (30%).
When foodservice lockdown has ended in full, foodservice operators can also encourage people in older age groups to enjoy food and beverages prepared outside the home. Delivery is already popular among the 18-to-34 age group (with 59% using this channel), but patronage dips to 32% in the 35-to-54 age band and tumbles to just 13% for the over 55s, an age group in which people might feel more vulnerable than others when they leave home.
Dominic Allport, Insights Director (Foodservice), The NPD Group, said: “The majority of people in our survey plan to return to restaurants, bars and cafes within a month of lockdown ending, but in order to do so, they’ll need to trust operators to offer safe environments from the get-go. Our data shows that consumers were already acutely aware of cleanliness in eating out establishments before COVID-19. As the industry moves towards reopening, operators will need to make this a top priority in order to encourage people back into their operations. I’m certain operators will be successful in creating the high level of trust that consumers want on-premise. Understandably, there will still be some people who are reluctant to go out. Operators can build this into their channel strategy and encourage more people to try delivery, especially older age groups.”
