Now, new research from music licensing company PPL PRS reveals that over 1 in 6 of the UK households (16%) surveyed plan on tucking into their turkey and trimmings in a restaurant or pub on Christmas Day. The top 5 reasons are:
- To try something new (24%)
- Because they don’t want to cook (23%)
- They would rather not host in their homes (15%)
- There’s no space to host at home (10%)
- To save energy (8%)
The festive season is always an expensive time for consumers, but they’re feeling the pinch this year especially. The prospect of cooking a turkey for hours, bulk buying ingredients and providing electricity and heating are causing them to re-consider their Christmas traditions.
A Nisbets.co.uk survey revealed that two million people in the UK plan to eat out on Christmas day to cut costs on a big family dinner. Nisbets also calculated the cost difference between cooking for a family of four versus eating out, finding a difference of only £5.80 per person in favour of cooking at home. However, dining out offers the benefit of choice for all members of a dining party.
Although customers will be coming for the food, creating a lively, charming Christmas atmosphere may be key to giving patrons a day they’ll never forget and securing their loyalty.
PPL PRS found that 9 in 10 (93%) people in the UK traditionally play Christmas music in their homes on the day. From that total, almost two-thirds (60%) wish to hear Christmas music playing in a restaurant or bar when they go out for their special meal.
The top eras for Christmas music, according to the public, are:
- 1980s (e.g. Last Christmas by WHAM! And Do They Know It’s Christmas? By Band Aid) – 75%
- 1990s (e.g. All I Want For Christmas Is You by Mariah Carey and Everybody Knows The Claus by Hanson) – 65%
- Mid-20th century classics (e.g. White Christmas by Bing Crosby) – 55%
While carols ranked lowest, a third (33%) of people favour them, proving the timeless popularity of Christmas tunes.
Over half (53%) praise the mood-boosting benefits and 43% the feelings of nostalgia stirred by festive bops. Otherwise, pop (11%) and chillout (10%) are go-to genres to accompany a yuletide dinner.
