Mitchells & Butlers: 1 million people will be eating out on Christmas Day

The Staff Canteen
pturkey12_1204051cOver 1 million people in the UK will be dining out on Christmas Day, according to research from pub and restaurant operator Mitchells & Butlers. That’s a 20% increase from last year. Catriona Kempston, Marketing Director at Mitchells & Butlers said that although cooking at home is still the most common trend, dining out is definitely starting to catch up. “Our pubs and restaurants want to give families the gift of time to share Christmas Day with each other, not their kitchen sink,” she added. The increased demand means the operator has 72,000 turkeys, 2,500 tonnes of potatoes, 235 tonnes of Brussels sprouts and 103,000 mince pies on order across pubs and restaurants like Harvester, Toby Carvery, O’Neill’s, Miller and Carter and Ember Inns. Of the 250,000 meals already on order, turkey is the favourite, but chocolate brownies are outselling Christmas pudding, and in Harvester nearly 50% of the meals set to be served will not be turkey. We apparently spend nine hours preparing, cooking and clearing away after Christmas dinner, and it costs the average family £178 to cook at home. Compare to this to the average cost if dining out on Christmas day, £52.28, and it’s no wonder why many people are choosing to eat out. Dining out inforgraphic Research also indicates that sales for gift cards for the group’s restaurants will be up 34% from last year. Those looking to cook at home can head here for some Toby Carvery tips on creating the perfect roast.

See our post on who's serving Christmas dinner here.

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall and restrict access – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 12 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 500,000 followers across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

The Staff Canteen

The Staff Canteen

Editor 19th December 2014

Mitchells & Butlers: 1 million people will be eating out on Christmas Day