Two-thirds of all pub sales on a Sunday come from the food offer, with the roast dinner the country’s favourite meal, worth £867m to UK pubs. Roast is on half of UK pub menus and 94% of menus of food pubs; 40% of roasts are sold on a Sunday.
CGA account director Tom Lynch said: “Sunday lunch is a cultural mainstay that meets the needs of multiple consumer groups, from value-led students out for cheap eats to extended family groups that don’t want the rigmarole associated with large scale home cooking. While food is obviously a critical component of Sunday trading for most pub retailers, there’s an equally profitable opportunity within the drinks proposition.
“For those showing football, the increasingly dramatised ‘Super Sundays’ provide an obvious cross selling opportunity from drink to food, which would be significantly enhanced by increased prevalence of table service. Similarly, bartender recommendations on simple-serve cocktails and after dinner drink options can help to increase dwell time and maximise spend per head.”
The findings are based on a combination of sales data for more than 5,000 managed pubs, menu analysis dating back more than eight years from a biannual sample of over 1,000 pubs and restaurants, and market value estimations.