British diners are more and more selecting fast-casual and premium fast-food choices over conventional pub and restaurant meals, based on Meaningful Vision’s full-year 2025 data. The report, which tracks shopper visitors, pricing, promotions, and retailer openings throughout greater than 60,000 UK fast-food and casual-dining shops, discovered that restaurant and pub visits declined by 6.8% final yr, whereas fast-food outlet visits elevated by 0.9%.
Development within the fast-food sector was pushed primarily by growth, with the variety of fast-food shops rising by practically 2% in 2025. Like-for-like fast-food visits, excluding the impression of latest openings, declined by 1%. Bakeries accounted for the best variety of new retailer openings, with Greggs launching probably the most new areas amongst fast-food manufacturers. Popeyes was the fastest-growing model in share phrases as its UK growth continued.
Efficiency diversified throughout fast-food segments. Rooster eating places noticed a 5.9% year-on-year enhance in footfall, espresso retailers grew by 3.6%, and bakery and sandwich retailers rose by 2.6%. Burger chain visits fell by 2.9%, and ethnic fast-food codecs declined by 1.6%.
Figures from the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics confirmed that UK meals and beverage costs rose by 4.5% year-on-year between December 2024 and 2025, equating to a 1.2% enhance for the calendar yr. Quick-food costs elevated at a sooner charge, with a 7.7% year-on-year rise to December and a 2.6% enhance for 2025, greater than double the speed of retail meals and beverage inflation.
Greater foodservice prices, together with labour, property taxes, and meals enter costs, contributed to those value will increase. Labour prices account for as much as 35% of working prices within the sector. Rising beef costs led to burger shops recording the steepest year-on-year menu value will increase of roughly 10%, whereas the pizza section recorded the bottom enhance at 3%.
The information signifies a shift in shopper behaviour, with extra individuals choosing quick meals and fast-casual choices as inflation impacts the affordability of conventional eating out. The growth of manufacturers similar to Greggs and Popeyes, and the sturdy efficiency of hen and bakery segments, mirror these altering preferences within the UK foodservice market.
