‘Thursday is the new Friday’ for dining out, with breakfast back on the menu
Lunch and early dinners have replaced late-night eating, according to the report.
Thursday is the new Friday for those looking to eat out in the evenings, according to a new report which details the dining habits of Irish people.
Moreover, lunch and early dinners have replaced late-night eating and there has been a return in demand for eating breakfast out.
This is according to the latest findings of Bord Bia’s 2022 Irish Foodservice Market Insights Report, which shows Ireland’s 'out of home' industry experienced significant growth of 61% in value to reach over €8.2bn this year.
The figure represents an almost full recovery to pre-pandemic levels, though due to the ongoing cost of living crisis, the forecasted growth for next year is estimated at 11.6%.
Foodservice, or out-of-home, refers to all food consumed and prepared out of home, including restaurants, pubs, coffee shops, hospitals and education catering.
According to the research, eight in 10 Irish consumers say they are enjoying the social aspect of dining out now that Covid-19 restrictions have been fully lifted.
However, the same amount are concerned about their finances, with many changing their dining out habits to reduce costs.
Some 87% agree dining out has become too expensive to do on a regular basis.
As a result, takeaways have remained a popular choice, with four in 10 getting more takeaways as it offers a more affordable option.
Bord Bia foodservice specialist Maureen Gahan said: “Certainly, for many companies, the boom seen in 2022 has been a welcome return to growth, but most acknowledge that looking ahead to 2023, projections are perhaps just as challenging as they were at the height of the pandemic.”
The cost of energy is "the biggest issue facing the industry today," the report has found.
The industry has found relief with the supports announced by the Government, but it says many operators will still feel a "significant pinch".
"Many are also worried about the impact of energy costs on households and believe this could cause pullback in discretionary spend from consumers during the winter months."
The report also outlines critical factors facing the foodservice industry for 2023, including how much of the growth next year is expected to be inflation-driven.
However, there is expected to be "only modest growth (if any) in consumer visits", due to factors like rising energy costs.
The ongoing shortage of labour "will have implications on overall industry sales and on operators’ ability to drive growth", according to the report.
"Low unemployment means that many other types of roles — unskilled front-of-house staff, servers, stewards, and so forth — are now also finding limited supply," the report states.
"Within other parts of the industry, distributors are still challenged with warehouse pickers, drivers and other support staff; suppliers are still working to fill production roles. In some instances, suppliers are offering housing, particularly to foreign workers, and wage rates have increased dramatically to lure new applicants and retain existing workforce."
Finally, restaurants have started to simplify menus due to issues surrounding cost, with the report saying "while there is a desire for new product development, much of the innovation we are seeing is around cost control".
"There is, however a recognised need for new menu items to maintain consumer interest and drive visits."
