I'm always drawn to news about food and drink, like a hungry lad is drawn to the chimes of the ice cream van (still optimistically touring our neighbourhood on occasion as the nights get colder).
Two stories have captured my attention lately. The first concerns the consumption of meat in the UK, which is at its lowest level since records began in the 1970s, according to government data. The second concerns a worrying spike in the number of restaurant bookings resulting in no-shows. We are told the rate has doubled since September 2022
Tackling the meat eating meltdown first, I wonder if this can be largely attributed to the cost of llving crisis. I wrote last week about the spike in shoplilfting incidents, and since penning that column, my local Co-op now has a security guard on the door. It's a sad sign of the times, but totally understandable from the retailer's point of view. I think steaks were the first item I noticed security tags on, and it really surprised me at the time. That trend has since expanded to cover everything from bottles of shampoo to bog roll. The Daily Star recently claimed it's a clear sign the country has gone to the skids! Based on the fact no-one has found a tangible Brexit benefit yet, they might have a point.
According to the government statistics, the average person eats 854g (1.88lbs) of meat at home every week, which is a decline from 949g before the Covid-19 pandemic in 2019. There has been a 14% slump since 2012, and we are also eating the least number of kebabs, burgers, and other meat products from takeaways in terms of grams per person since the 1980s. I'm not convinced the kebab shop I visited whilst I was a student in Liverpool will have survived without my regular late night visits, but there has been a big drop across the board. It's quite surprising, as there are still so many burger places in most towns and cities.
Another factor mentioned as a possible reason for our meat consumption falling in recent times is the price hikes caused by soaring inflation, especially last year when Russia invaded Ukraine. Food prices have stopped rising quite as quickly, but they are still pretty much double (or more) year-on-year. Our salaries certainly haven't matched that increase! I still regularly get a shock at the supermarket checkout when I remember how much £50 used to buy you only a few years ago compared to now.
Minced beef is being consumed at its lowest rate since 1999, and we are also eating less fish, apparently. With recent reports also claiming the vegan food bubble has burst, I guess a lot have switched to cheaper cuts of meat. I know I've gone from being a brand snob to an own label guru. The bubble tea stall at White Rose shopping centre in Leeds always seems to have a big queue, but I doubt it keeps you full for long! Our local branch of the Golden Arches also always seems pretty busy. Pro tip - fries dipped into a McFlurry is a top guilty pleasure, although my mum was appalled when she saw me doing it recently. The fries are rarely hot, so don't worry about dunking them into ice cream. Try it, and thank me later. Sweet and salty...it's a taste sensation!
Away from declining meat consumption, and junk food hits, we are dining out less. We are also "no-showing" more, with 12% of customers not honouring their bookings, or bothering to let the restaurant know they can't make it. This really makes me cross. Although menu prices have increased, so have costs for the hospitality sector, which has weathered a storm over recent years of increased costs, soaring energy bills and customers with less money to spend. Aside from a genuine life emergency, why can't people be more considerate and make a quick phone call to say they can't make it? It really makes me cross.
I guess the answer is to introduce an upfront deposit, which some places have already done. Walk-ins can make up for lost business in some cases, but for small ventures, a big table now showing up on a Saturday night can be hugely costly and demoralising. I like to be on time for stuff, and panic if I'm even running five minutes late for a booking! I just can't relate to those who casually make reservations and change their mind, then simply can't be bothered to let the place know. Utterly befuddling.
