Ultra-high levels of hygiene are helping to spread the word that it is safe to eat and drink out again, new data for the industry-wide ‘We Hear You’ campaign shows.
The initiative, coordinated by CGA, Yumpingo and UKHospitality, was launched to gauge the opinions of consumers returning to hospitality after lockdown, and to help pave the industry’s road to recovery. Its research shows that the vast majority (97%) of guests were satisfied with the level of hygiene and cleanliness in the venue they visited, and nearly as many (94%) with how well the team followed hygiene practices. Operators’ spacing arrangements appear to be working well too, with more than two thirds (70%) finding the number of guests in a venue ‘just right’.
The survey confirms that safety remains a huge factor for visitors to hospitality. Four in five (79%) people say they are taking precautionary measures into account when deciding where to eat or drink—a reminder of the importance not just of implementing safety practices but of communicating them.
Older people are particularly concerned about safety, and more anxious than most to see precautions in place. Those aged 55+ are 21 percentage points less likely than 18 to 34 year-olds to feel that their overall experience has been impacted by COVID-19 precautions. And while three quarters (78%) of 18 to 34 year-olds thought safety measures were extremely clear, only three in five (60%) 55+ year-olds felt the same.
This anxiety is contributing to significantly higher Net Promoter Scores (78%) among 18 to 34 year-olds than 55+ year-olds (58%)—an indication that more work needs to be done to reassure older demographics.
Younger adults are leading the return to hospitality, and operators have done a great job in demonstrating their rigorous precautions and hygiene protocols,” says Rachel Weller, CGA’s Head of Consumer Research and Marketing. “But given their greater vulnerability to COVID-19, it’s not surprising to see that older people are more anxious about going out and more demanding on safety. Securing these older demographics’ spending will be crucial to hospitality’s recovery, and it’s vital to show them that their concerns are heard and that they are in safe hands.”
Gary Goodman, CEO and founder of Yumpingo, said: “As we reach 10,000 responses this week from an increasing number of venues it is encouraging to see that the industry is doing a fantastic job of reassuring guests. There is, however, still work to be done to reassure all demographics equally and as more and more venues reopen the data will continue to guide the sector on what matters most to guests.”
