Restaurants and Pubs have added additional alcoholic drinks to menus from June-September 2022, with average alcoholic drinks up +1.4% and +6.5%, respectively, as per the latest Lumina Intelligence Menu Tracker report.
Lumina’s previously released Restaurant Market Report 2022 showcased how lunch and dinner occasions are driving spending decline as consumers opt out of drinks: Average spending at lunch and dinner has decreased -20% and -12% year-on-year, respectively. This is being driven by consumers –especially younger consumers –opting out of purchasing drinks with food.
Offering consumers a wider array of drink options is expected to encourage consumers to purchase a drink alongside a meal and fight back against this diminished spending.
Pubs and bars have also adopted this strategy, and their non-alcoholic and alcoholic drink menus have increased by +13.5% and +6.5%, respectively, from June to September 2022, a move that also seeks to appeal to consumers who are on a drink-only occasion.
Vodka has increased in share of pub and bar spirit listings, up +1.3ppts from June to September 2022, to a 7.9% share, after operators expanded flavoured vodka following new product launches by Absolut and Smirnoff. It is important to note, however, that overall spirits are at the most risk by consumers to cut back on to save money, being the most expensive alcoholic drinks.
“Younger consumers are leading this pattern of behaviour, as they are the most affected by financial uncertainty, and so operators should expand marketing efforts to this age demographic to re-engage with them,” advised Senior Insight Manager Katherine Prowse.
