Fish and chips remains Britain’s favourite pub and bar meal, new research from CGA by NielsenIQ reveals—and there is plenty of headroom for growth at the premium end of the market.
A survey for CGA’s exclusive new ‘Food Insights 22’ report shows that more than a quarter (28%) of consumers pick fish and chips as one of their three top dishes when eating out in pubs and bars. This puts it ahead of other perennial favourites like carveries and roasts (24%), steak (22%), pizza (21%) and beef burgers (17%) on the report’s rundown of consumers’ most-wanted pub and bar meals.
While fish and chips has been a classic dish for decades, CGA’s in-depth report into out-of-home food trends flags significant opportunities to increase sales even further. It indicates that half (48%) of consumers would be willing to try a premium fish and chip restaurant or shop, while three in five (60%) say they are likely to pay more for a better quality version of the dish. Diners are also interested in exploring new variations on the meal, and more than a quarter say they would consider ordering options like tuna (29%), lobster (27%) and crab (27%) if they saw them on a fish and chip shop’s menu.
Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director - hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “Britain’s consumers have never had such a wide choice of options when eating out, so it’s fascinating to see the appetite for fish and chips is undimmed. Even in very mature parts of the eating-out market like this, it’s encouraging to see there is still so much potential to grow sales, especially by helping people trade up to new alternatives and making fish and chip shops destinations in their own right. With spending on eating out under mounting pressure, tempting consumers with exciting twists on popular favourites like fish and chips will be a crucial tactic in the months ahead.”