Fast food accounts for 50% of meals eaten out

Over half of all meals eaten out of the home are now bought from fast food restaurants, according to latest figures from research agency NPD Group.

The same research shows that in 2011 consumers made 5.5 billion visits to these outlets in 2011, compared to 5.4 billion in 2008.

The growth in quick service comes at the expense of the workplace and education sector whose share of the market has shrunk from 19.5% in 2008 to 16.9% in the year ending September 2011.

NPD cites the wide ranging menu options, promotions and discounts that fast food outlets offer for attracting workers and students away from their office/campus.

Lunch is pinpointed as an important factor in the growth of the quick service food business, accounting for almost three quarters (72%) of the sector’s growth and a 7% increase in the number of visits since 2008.

Guy Fielding, NPD’s Director of Foodservice for Europe, believes consumers in the capital are also a key influence in the growth of the quick service sector. “Consumers in London spent 7% more in restaurants this year and it is the quick service restaurants, serving burgers, ethnic dishes and chicken that have led that growth.

“It’s also about the quick service restaurants giving Londoners a good deal. Meal deals and promotions account for 27% of spend at commercial restaurants in London, but they accounted for 100% of the growth. Consumers in London may eat out more than in other areas of the country, but only when the deal is right.”

NPD’s research also shows that consumers in London are more likely (55%) to visit quick service restaurants, when compared to 49.5% for consumers in the rest of the country.

Picture courtesy Paragon Foods