Pubs passing on highest price increases
The Menu and Food Trends Report from Morning Advertiser sister title MCA found that Scottish brewer and operator BrewDog led the wave of price rises.
BrewDog has increased the prices of three vegan burger dishes by 19% in 2018. In contrast, pub operators including Beefeater, Table and JD Wetherspoon have held back on price rises this year to maintain value perceptions.
Meanwhile, vegan and vegetarian dishes have decreased in price across restaurants and pubs, making them more accessible to diners.
Vegetarian and vegan
The fall in prices is linked to the increasing supply of vegetarian and vegan dishes that are needed to meet growing consumer demand for products, which are seen as healthier and affordable.
Pub restaurants were also found to be more expensive than other hospitality businesses for the prices of starters with the cheapest and most expensive starter dishes priced at £3.89 and £8.49 respectively.
For mains, pub restaurants increased prices across the board, with prices at the value end of the market up by 6.9% over the past year while chain restaurants rises were lower at 1%.
Pub restaurants also increased prices at the more premium end by 3.8% as they look to encourage higher spend, while chain restaurants saw a decline in this area.
Pushing up prices
Although pub restaurants have pushed prices up, average value prices at pubs remain lower than chain restaurants, maintaining value perceptions.
Pubs were also slightly dearer than chain restaurants on dessert dishes, with the premium side of things seeing the biggest rise, up 0.4% and 2.9% respectively - with premium dessert prices having risen to more than £7 at pub restaurants.
The MCA Menu and Food Trends Report 2018 is a breakdown and analysis of 31 leading casual, fast food and pub restaurant brands.
Please contact Laura Bicknell on 01293 610343 or email laura.bicknell@mca‑insight.com for the full table of contents and pricing information of the 2018 Menu & Food Trends report from MCA.
