I don’t know Edward, but like most parents lost in an emotional swell of nappies, nursery and notes to Santa, when I see his face, I instantly see in him my own son, or the imagined face of a son or daughter yet to come into the world.
More than two-thirds of UK adults have worried about the effect of Covid-19 on their lives and what impact it will have for their future. Social isolation, job losses, financial insecurity, working front-line jobs and a loss of coping mechanisms has caused a widespread “mental health emergency”. It has been and continues to be, an incredibly difficult year for most.
It’s fair to say that this year has not gone as predicted, but as we look forward to 2021 and the positive steps towards mass vaccination, Lumina Intelligence shared with us their insights on how this has gone and what might be in store. Here are my top take outs from their comprehensive presentation available to Forum Members:
What’s happened in eating out:
Simplified menus post lockdown 1 with dishes down 21.6% overall. Allowing for Covid safe back of house service, cost management and easy online ordering.
Price increases up 1.9% overall with pubs up 5.2%, whilst chain restaurants were only up 1.2% showing how pubs can justify a higher price point based on their high-quality offer.
Digitisation of menus and service across the board as operators look to implement contactless Covid safe ordering and payment and leverage the market for delivery.
Customisation with 83% (4 in 5) dishes being customisable/adaptable – although these tend to be pizza, burger and Burrito or wraps. This is also where vegan options come into play with customers offered the option to choose a meat free alternative.
Fewer sharing dishes due to the danger of cross contamination. With a drop of 15% down to 3.4% of dishes. Whilst fast food seems to have embraced them with a +229% increase based on at home sharing.
Gluten Free & Veggie/Vegan on the rise with now 1 in 10 mains able to be made gluten free. Whilst 14.3% are vegetarian and 8.3% are vegan.
NPD is in decline understandably as operators look to adapt to highly challenging times, with only 5% of dishes on the menu being new. However, this is only a drop of 2% from 7% last year so some are still innovating and will have used lockdown time to innovate.
Menu Engineering – with menu simplicity signaling a premium establishment. Indeed, shorter descriptions also signal a more fine dining menu. Whilst price points are also telling with round figures indicative of premium establishments with others left digit price anchoring and 99p or 95p endings to entice customers.
Quality of food is the no.1 key consumer decision maker at 28% with a focus on premiumisation and provenance. Equally, instagramable food, high quality drinks and atmosphere also up across 18-24 & 25-35 age groups.
Sustainability may have taken a back seat to safety in Covid times but is still high on the priority list with consumers, with 43% looking for sustainability. So, once safe we are likely to see this important trend re-emerge. Buying and supporting local is also a big trend with 78% believing that supporting local is important or very important. Whilst consumers are also still keen to reduce single use plastics.
Who we dine with has also changed as we see smaller group sizes due to restrictions, more pet friendly options in response to the rise in dog ownership during lockdown, as well as more solo dining.
Outside dining has also offered operators a life-line with 25% more investment in outdoor dining options from pods to marquees or simply patio heaters and awnings.
Experiences have moved in-home, with cocktail making kits and take home drinks on the rise.
Partnerships have emerged to pivot in these challenging times including Biff’s Kitchen and Punch and Yo! Sushi and Co-op in order to diversify revenue streams.
Healthier lifestyles as a trend has been amplified by the current crisis with 6% of all out of home meals involving a vegan dish. Ingredients such as Seitan and of course Gold & Green Pulled Oats offering great tasting vegan options. Whilst lighter and low and no alcohol have driven a number of NPD launches in the drinks market, notably Guinness 0.0. and Hard Seltzers like Keepr’s, as consumers look for alternatives to alcohol or high sugar fizzy drinks.
Delivery has continued to do well and is likely to remain a habit the UK keep long after Covid. The good news being that research indicated that it won’t cannibalise eat in but rather grow the market as the main alternative is seen as staying in and cooking. Good news for those operators who have invested in pivoting as they will want to get the most from their investment longer term.
Meal Kits have also seen a boom with restaurants offering an at home experience either direct or through platforms such as Dishpatch. Often proving so popular they sell out in minutes, as seen with Honest Burger kits.
Other trends we are seeing include heat and spice continuing as well as classic and indulgence as consumers may eat out less but chose to indulge when they do.
Of course, Covid has put pay to some trends as restrictions and the focus on Covid safe service and hygiene mean there is less experiential dining, we have more time but limited social interaction and can no longer use reusables like keep cups.
Opinion is divided amongst industry decision makers as to how 2021 will go with a possible no deal Brexit, 39% are positive whilst 47% expect a deterioration next year. With high unemployment and Brexit, matched with a lack of clarity over possibly supply chain implications, 2021 will bring its own challenges. On the positive side operators expect to benefit from pent up demand however this may well be dampened by a further drop in consumer confidence.
But hopefully as the industry comes back online in 2021, we’ll see opportunities around both the Euros and Olympics, especially if we have another hot summer allowing for outside screenings. It would also be great to see the return of things like spirit festivals at pubs and more experience-based events when it is safe to do so.
For those of you who haven’t heard of Food Service Circle, it was set up this year in response to the impact of Covid on the contract catering world, in order to help front line teams. It counts amongst its members pretty much all contract caterers operating in the UK and has the following mission: “Our aim is to build a new community which is free to join for all those displaced in the food service market due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the devastating affect it has had on our industry.”
This year for Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving I have chosen to support Trekstock, who offer invaluable help and support to young adults suffering with cancer in the UK.
Kent Search and Rescue (part of the Lowland Rescue unit) is a charitable organisation dedicated to assisting the emergency services in the search for and rescue of vulnerable missing persons. Its voluntary members make themselves available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. They provide an essential service for the local community by responding to and supporting Kent Police, the Local Authority and other emergency services when they need to search for a vulnerable person who goes missing.
For this year’s Christmas Charity initiative, I am pleased to continue with my support for an amazing charity called The Hope Charity Project based in Sussex.
What a rollercoaster of a year 2020 has been! As we edge ever closer to waving goodbye to another year, another decade in fact, little did we know as we entered it, how we would be ending it. With so much uncertainty in a year that has been challenging for many, there are still so many people suffering who need our help. Christmas offers the perfect opportunity to give where we can by offering a much-needed lifeline. Off the back of two successful years of Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving, this year we may well be doing things a little differently, but our aim remains the same; to give back. In doing so, this year we will be giving an average daily wage to a charity of our choice.
My chosen charity for the Jellybean 12 days of giving initiative is Prostate Cancer UK. It is a cause which means a lot to me as my dad was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. After having an operation to remove his prostate he is doing well, and I am so thankful for the excellent NHS staff who have helped him to make a positive recovery and deal with the after effects of his surgery in the middle of a pandemic. The whole experience has taught me to value every day you have with your loved ones as you don’t know what’s around the corner (oh and don’t sweat the small stuff!)
This year, my chosen charity for Jellybean’s 12 Days of Giving is Mind, a mental health charity which promotes the views and needs of people with mental health problems. I have chosen to support this charity because mental heath this year has suffered for a lot of the population.
The award-winning Northumberland Country Zoo is a family-run, not-for-profit organisation situated just over 20 miles from Newcastle and I’m honoured to be able to choose them as the beneficiary of the generous donation from Jellybean as part of our 12 Days of Giving campaign this year.
At Jellybean, we love to raise money for charity. I’ve always wanted to take part in Movember and felt like this year was the perfect time to give back and do my part.
This year has affected everyone. Regardless of social status, living arrangements, career, ethnicity, gender and age, Covid-19 has inspired a national refocus – a shift in attention to wellbeing, both physical and of the mind.
Growing up in South London, like many others I saw people get into the wrong crowd and end up doing things that would affect their lives forever. But why did they do these things? That’s the question I believe we should all be asking ourselves when looking at shocking stats relating to youth crime.
My chosen charity for our 12 Days of Giving 2020 is Aspire, a charity that supports people who have suffered a spinal injury. Such an injury can devastate the lives of those injured, also affecting their family and friends, and Aspire offers amazing support. It is a charity close to my family’s heart as my sister Katherine was left paralysed after a horse-riding accident and over the years Aspire have given her grants towards her wheelchairs.
In the midst of lockdown 1 my best friend was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Why Lymphoma Action?
I think everyone can agree 2020 has been a spectacularly rubbish year. However, back in May, just as I thought this year couldn’t get any worse (long story, but suffice to say we’re now on our third date for our wedding, and who knows if that will even happen) it got a whole lot worse.
