Most pubs charge more than £30 for Xmas dinner
Of the 99 respondents, 31% said they would charge more than £30 for dinner at their pub over the festive season, while more than a quarter (26%) opted for more than £75 and almost as many (25%) charge more than £50.
Just 7% of those surveyed said they would charge customers more than £100 for Christmas dinner.
According to participating operators, the “protein element” of the meal and staffing costs were typically the most expensive things to consider when calculating the cost of Christmas dinner, alongside inflation rates.
Something different
Owner of the Unruly Pig in Bromeswell, Suffolk, Brendan Padfield told the Morning Advertiser the pub calculates the cost of its Christmas menu months in advance by estimating December prices and adding its standard mark up to ensure a “targeted gross margin”.
“Great quality turkey doesn't come cheap, but we offer pigeon wellington as we like to offer something different yet still special.
“Most customers are going to eat a lot of turkey over the festive period, so having a differing festive main course seems to hit the spot for many”, Padfield said.
Earlier this month, pub giant JD Wetherspoons revealed it had increased the cost of its Christmas menu by 13% this year.
Recent data from Zonal also revealed reservations across the sector were already more than 40% up on 2022 levels throughout the month of December, with bookings for Christmas Day up 59%.
Cutting back
This week booking platform DesignMyNight identified the most popular days for 2023 Christmas parties were December 1,7,8 and 14 with a surge of bookings expected later this month.
Sales of gift cards at hospitality venues were also found to help “boost sales” and “generate revenue” during the quieter post-holiday period, with figures from e-commerce platform Toggle predicting a 425% increase in sales of gift cards this year.
However, news of further rail strikes due to place throughout the festive season were set to “hit hospitality businesses hard”, according to UKHospitality (UKH) chief executive Kate Nicholls.
Moreover, consumers were thought to be “cutting back” on non-essential spending in the run up to the big day, according to data from Barclaycard, in a bid to save for Christmas and winter fuel bills.
In addition, CGA by NIQ managing director UK and Ireland Jonathan Jones last week said this year’s festive season was “make or break” for the sector as drinks sales dipped in the most recent Daily Drinks Tracker.
