Customer habits revealed in new study
Wednesday became the most popular day of the week for restaurants during the summer Eat Out To Help Out scheme, overtaking both Friday and Saturday, according to a study by an Edinburghbased tech start-up.
The report, by hospitality software start-up Stampede, also offers new insights into user behaviour post-lockdown, for example, demonstrating that the curfew had little effect because the population was effectively policing itself.
Among the key findings, during the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, 48.1 per cent of UK restaurant visits were on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. Wednesday became the most popular day of the week, over taking both Friday and Saturday–traditionally the busiest days.
The UK population moved away from late night drinking and dining long before the curfew was introduced, with pubs, bars and restaurants all experiencing earlier spikes in traffic in July and August compared with 2019.
Venues were far more dependent on regular and returning customers postlock down versus bringing in new customers, the report noted. Meanwhile, cafe numbers were boosted during lockdowns, due to being some of the only venues open for takeaways.
Stampede chief executive and founder Patrick Clover said :“The data is clear, the UK hospitality sector cannot be turned off and on like a tap. The government may have chopped and changed its stance on hospitality restrictions, but human behaviour takes far longer to adjust, and the impact of lockdown is felt long after venues re open .”