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What people are hungry for and
the role tech plays in the restaurant
industry’s future success
A report by hospitality tech platform Flyt
integrating new YouGov statistics*
November 2018
flyt.io
Dining Out
Isn’t Dead:
04.	 Introduction by Flyt CEO, Tom Weaver
06.	 Eating out: The situation today
08.	 Success stories
10.	 Experience is everything
12.	 The future of eating out
15.	Conclusion
16.	Appendix
One platform.
Universal possibilities. Contents
Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 3
Restaurants, and the broader hospitality
industry, are at the inflection point of
radical change, mirroring the seismic shifts
experienced by retail over the last decade.
Dining out is under tremendous pressure. Rapid
innovation is needed to meet consumers’ evolving
needs, whether that is dynamic menus, or
changing the customer experience so guests have
more control over what happens and when.
Despite all the challenging news throughout
2018 with notable brands shutting hundreds of
locations across the UK, dining out isn’t dead.
But in order to thrive, the hospitality industry
can no longer resist technology and digital
transformation. It’s time to embrace the future.
Flyt was born out of the idea that we
could help usher in a new era of customer
experience in hospitality, and identifying
the pain points consumers face is key to us
advising restaurants, pubs and bars and
building our universal integration platform.
In our inaugural technology survey (conducted
in October 2018), we’ve worked with YouGov
to ask 2,000 people across the UK what
turns them on about eating out – and
crucially what they don’t like so much.
Our findings are stark for the industry. The insights
we’ve gleaned clearly demonstrate that many
people, especially Millennials, are eating out less
than they were at the same point last year due to
money worries. People in full time work are dining
out less frequently due to their wages not increasing
and costs going up. Also, a surprisingly high number
of people are worried about the situation with
Brexit and are holding back discretionary spend.
This consumer sentiment is very concerning as
on the one hand, restaurants are working hard
to tempt Millennials and working people through
their doors – but the current macroeconomics
suggest that restaurants need to work even harder
to show value for these critical consumer groups.
While there is considerable analysis and reporting
on what is happening in the hospitality industry,
there is a dearth of detail on what consumers
are frustrated with – and therefore, what can be
done to improve the dining out experience.
The aim of this report is to close this gap, build
knowledge about guests’ key frustrations and
how the industry can respond to these. Indeed,
as people have less spare time and money,
experience is everything. With the time and money
they do have, they want to spend it wisely.
It’s increasingly clear that technology and the
rapid digital transformation of our society means
restaurants can no longer look at technology as
optional – integrating it in the right way is now
critical to attract and retain diners. In separate
research we conducted earlier this year, we found
that 68% of guests who spend the most when dining
out say good use of technology improves their
perception of a brand, and 62% are more likely to
visit if a restaurant is making good use of tech.
In this latest YouGov research, we’ve uncovered the
key frustrations with dining out at the moment – and
people’s expectations for how technology can reduce
these pains. In this report, you will see that Millennials
have helped us with future-gazing the tech solutions
that will improve dining experience, and create more
efficiency – hopefully propelling them to eat out more.
In this context, delivery is increasingly becoming
a core part of a restaurant’s offering. Bringing
a restaurant experience into the living rooms of
millions is the new normal with the likes of Just Eat
and Uber Eats rapidly expanding with well-known
restaurant brands. Taking part in this delivery
revolution means a significant level of continuous
innovation is needed to meet the expectations of
guests. Even though they are dining at home, they
are still the guests of the restaurant, so providing
the best in-home experience possible is critical.
However, our survey has uncovered some considerable
frustrations with current delivery services, particularly
in London. The findings in our report pinpoint what
needs to change to improve their experiences – the
sooner the better, especially when you consider
the looming disruption resulting from the so-called
“Amazon effect”. Indeed, the likes of Deliveroo and
Uber Eats have begun setting up dark kitchens
hidden away in industrial sites, which change
the game significantly as they give brands huge
opportunities to test what works, evaluate and
innovate. This being said, the flip side of this is that
they could force physical restaurants to be less
and less relevant, unless they too up their game.
Our report is wide ranging – and it aims to give
some tangible food for thought as we approach
a new decade. A strong digital strategy is a key
pillar to businesses thriving, whatever the economic
turmoil the UK happens to be undergoing. If this
isn’t taken seriously, restaurant businesses will be
outcompeted and will simply continue to keep closing.
Because the future belongs to those who adapt.
Tom Weaver
Introduction by Flyt CEO,
Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 5
In February 2018, the
Telegraph reported that a
perfect ‘three-course meal’
storm of rising costs, cautious
consumers and too many
restaurants, was leaving
the casual dining industry
bashed and bruised.
It was a rather dismal start to the year for the sector,
with Jamie’s Italian kicking off 2018 by announcing it
was closing 12 restaurants (a third of its sites) as part
of a strategic review of the business. This was after
the company shut six of its locations in early 2017.
It seemed a ‘domino effect’ was in play because
also in January, fellow Italian restaurant chain
Strada said it was closing 11 branches due to
disappointing trading and rising costs. At around
the same time, Burger chain Byron announced
forthcoming closures, and several sites have already
shut up shop – most of them outside London.
The casual dining industry’s winter of discontent
seemed to extend well into the spring and blisteringly
hot summer of 2018, with Prezzo, Côte Brasserie, Cau
(owned by Gaucho) and Carluccio’s all announcing
closures. Most recently, at the end of October 2018
GBK has announced 17 closures with 250 jobs at risk.
Data from analysts CGA and corporate advisory firm
AlixPartners in June 2018 showed that the number of
restaurants in the UK had fallen for the first time in
eight years. Graham Smith, the managing director
of AlixPartners, told The Guardian he expected
restaurant numbers to continue to drop throughout
the year and larger chains in particular to slim down.
With so many people seemingly obsessed with
eating out and Instagramming everything they eat,
the big question on many people’s lips was, ‘why?’
The truth is, the sector has suffered in recent
years for a myriad reasons; from sales stagnating
and costs rising, to rents soaring and broader
economic uncertainty. This has led to one in three
restaurant chains now being loss-making.vi
Furthermore, despite people still loving to eat
out, Peter Martin at CGA told The Guardian the
last four years has seen a net of 4,000 net new
restaurants opening – and a lot of chains have
gone into areas they perhaps shouldn’t have.
As private equity money has surged into the
industry, the pressure for growth at all costs seems
to have highlighted that this unbridled drive for
growth through site expansion is actually a cost
too far for many. For private equity backed brands,
it now seems only international expansion can
satisfy the demands of investors v. Private equity
investors are now being more prudent with their
ambitions in the sector following the surge in
2014-15, which in part has been a root cause of
the closures we’ve seen subsequently in 2018.vii
Despite all this, in September 2018 insights firm The
NPD Group reported that casual dining is actually still
continuing to grow in Britain. For the year ending June
2018, visits to British casual dining outlets were up
almost 7% which is the equivalent to an additional 35
million visits, compared with the previous 12 months.
But digging a little deeper, there is a worrying trend
uncovered by Flyt’s October 2018 survey conducted
by YouGov, with almost a third of people (30%)
eating out less than they were a year ago.* Over a
third of Millennials (34%) are eating out less than
they did a year ago – the most likely age group
to say this. Things haven’t changed so much for
the over 55s age bracket with less than a quarter
(24%) saying they are not dining out as much.
Eating out: The
situation today
Whilst it is undoubtedly a challenging time for
restaurants, the last thing they should do is raise
prices to try and cover rising costs – as tempting as
this might be. Indeed, our YouGov survey showed cost
is a key factor for why people are choosing to dine out
less, with over two-fifths of Brits (43%) saying they do
not have enough disposable income, and the same
amount saying it simply costs too much to eat out.
It seems the accusation Millennials just want
to spend their money on flat white coffees and
avocado on toast is a fallacy, with three in five
(60%) stating they are eating out less than they did
a year ago because they want to save money.
There is also evidence times are getting tougher
even for those in full time employment, with over
a third (34%) saying they have recently cut back
the frequency they eat at restaurants because
their wages have not increased but living costs
have gone up. Furthermore, over one in eight
people (14%) working full time do not eat out
as much because of worries about Brexit.
It is far from all doom and gloom though, as the
very fact that not all casual dining restaurants
are suffering is proof that some are doing things
better than others. Perhaps we need to learn from
these to see what works and what doesn’t?
Are we eating out less
than we were a year ago?
YouGov survey of 2,000 respondents, October 2018
Do Millennials
spend all their
money on avocado
on toast?
Three in five
Millennials (60%)
are eating out less to
save cash
Whoiseating
o
ut less than they did a yea
rago?
Over a third
of Millennials
Less than a quarter
of over 55’s
Almost a third of
people in the UK
as a whole
34%
24%
30%
Cost = A key factor
for eating out less
Two-fifths of Brits
(43%) don’t have
enough disposable
income
Two-fifths of Brits
(43%) think it
costs too much
to eat out
“My wages haven’tincreased but costshave gone up”
34% in full time
employment
eating out less
Over 1 in 8 people (14%) working full time don’t
eat out as much because of worries about Brexit
Brexit
Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 7
It has been trading for over
25 years but the key to
Wagamama’s ability to stay
fresh for so long, especially
at such a challenging time,
is its ability to innovate.
At the chain’s ‘noodle lab’ in central London,
customers use digital tablets to review new dishes.
Waiting staff at Wagamama’s restaurants were
one of the first in the casual dining industry to use
tablets to key in orders to create more efficiency.
This might seem rather ‘old hat’ now, but investing
in tech before its competitors in this way meant
diners received a better, more streamlined dining
experience, and kept going back for more.
Another way Wagamama has stayed ahead of
the game is by changing the menu regularly as
British people’s palates diversify over time. As well
as their ubiquitous chicken katsu curry (their most
popular dish), we can now order more unusual
items such as Korean bulgogi steak, Chinese bao
buns and Cambodian samla curry. Recognising
the rising need for more vegan options, the chain
recently introduced the seitan “vegatsu” curry.
Indeed, a menu with plenty of vegan, gluten-
free and other allergy friendly options seems to
be more crucial than ever. Our YouGov survey
showed that for over one in 10 Brits (11%) one
of the main frustrations they experience at
restaurants is when there are not enough options
for people who are vegan or have food allergies.
The recent allergy scandals could well have an
impact on Pret a Manger’s bottom line; only time
will tell. But the latest figures show ‘Pret’ is thriving,
and diversifying, in an otherwise gloomy climate.
In September 2018, it reported that like-for-like
sales had soared by 3.2% as revenue grew by
13.2% between December 2016 and December
2017. While other chains were shutting up shop,
Pret opened 58 sites during this year and created
1,150 jobs worldwide. Again, the key here is that
the chain has been keeping up with the times and
diversifying its offering, responding to current trends.
For example, the company recognises the power of
social media and uses it as a tool to consult with
its customers. Amidst the increasing pressure for
establishments to commit to sustainability, Pret
introduced a discount on any drink purchased for
customers who bring in their own cup. Furthermore, in
response to the growing interest in vegetarian food,
several Veggie Pret stores have opened up in London.
But healthy options are not the be all and end all.
In the year to December 2017, fast food giant KFC
reported pre-tax profits of £186.1m (compared with
£58.9m the year before) after it refranchised 133
stores. The company stated the like-for-like sales
growth of 3.8% was as a result of the continued
development of new products and the roll-out of
delivery through tech-enabled third-party providers.
Flyt’s YouGov survey from October 2018 showed
almost two-fifths (18%) of people are eating out
less because they prefer to get a takeaway, and
one in 10 (11%) said they would rather eat in front
of their favourite Netflix series or movie. The hunger
for ordering food online has skyrocketed recently
with recent research from Barclaycard showing
that consumer spending on online restaurant
delivery services rose by nearly 20% in May 2018,
compared with the same period last year.
Branching out into delivery could be the key to helping
restaurants survive, and thrive, in the current climate.
But getting delivery right can be a big challenge
in itself. Perhaps it is because they order takeaway
more than anyone else in the UK – spending more
than £1.4bn each year iv
– but the Flyt YouGov survey
showed Londoners are less satisfied with their food
delivery services than anywhere else in the UK.
Two-thirds of Londoners (66%) say they have
experienced issues with food delivery, compared
with less than half (45%) of people in Yorkshire
Success
stories
and the Midlands. The biggest issue people living
in the capital have experienced is with the food
arriving later than expected (42%) followed by the
food arriving cold (34%) and items missing from the
order (29%). Other issues they have experienced are;
poorly presented food (21%), the fact that the food
was not up to the same standard as in a restaurant
(21%) and the packaging had leaked (18%).
Clearly, more solutions around better packaging,
which retains heat, keeps food looking attractive
and not leaking, are needed. But these statistics
also tell us that the crux of the issue lies in
introducing more effective and integrated
technology, which is where Flyt comes in.
An example of how Flyt’s platform is currently at
play and improving efficiency in delivery is with Uber
Eats. By working with Flyt, Uber Eats’ restaurant
partners can fully integrate food delivery into
their day-to-day operations, as well as save one
hour of manual labour each day on the tills while
minimising order keying errors. The partnership
has launched with more than 100 stores across the
UK and Europe, including UK national chains such
as Papa Johns, Harry Ramsden, Slim Chicken, and
Vapiano in Austria. More than 1,000 restaurants
are expected to sign up by the end of the year.
Londoners
Yorkshire &
the Midlands
Other issues; when the food arrived it
was poorly presented (21%), it wasn't up
to restaurant standards (21%) and the
food leaked (18%)
66%
45%
Biggest issues experienced by Londoners
are food arriving later than expected
(42%), food arriving cold (34%) and items
missing from the order (29%)
42%
34%
29% 21%
21%
18%
Londoners are less satisfied with their food
delivery services than anywhere else in the UK
Experienced issues with food delivery
Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 9
Looking back at the majority
of the success stories we have
highlighted, a strong theme
running through is that they
have embraced technology
in various innovative ways.
From Wagamama creating a streamlined
service by introducing tablets and Pret using
social media to tap into customer views, to KFC
winning at food delivery, all of this boils down to a
commitment to improving customer experience.
It is worth noting too that the ideal customer
dining experience has changed. Back in the day,
people had more time on their hands and would
be more likely to luxuriate in a three course meal
with wine. But there’s evidence things have moved
on with the Flyt YouGov survey showing almost
one in five 18 to 34 year olds (17%) do not have
enough spare time to eat out in restaurants.
You would have thought heading to a restaurant
would be much more time efficient than buying
ingredients and heading home to cook yourself a
meal. But one of the main frustrations with eating
out is the amount of unnecessary time that is wasted
in a restaurant. It seems Brits are easily “hangry”
and do not like their stomachs to be rumbling,
with almost two-thirds (63%) saying their biggest
frustration when eating out is when the food takes
too long to come after they have ordered it.
Streamlining service and creating a brilliant
experience, it seems, is everything. Certainly, many
restaurants will be friendly when they greet customers
and serve food in good time, but then there is
evidence they are failing at the final hurdle. The
Flyt YouGov survey showed the average amount of
time people are willing to wait between requesting
the bill and paying it, is only eight minutes and 40
seconds. According to the statistics, men are more
impatient than women, as they are only willing to
wait an average of eight minutes and eight seconds
for the bill. Women, in contrast, are happy to wait
a whole minute longer (nine minutes, 10 seconds).
It seems such a shame when restaurants go to all
the effort creating a lovely dining out experience but
then leave customers annoyed because they have
not been able to pay and leave when they want to.
Perhaps the answer lies in
embracing mobile tech?
Burger chain Byron might have experienced some
challenges recently, but it is one of the restaurants
that has embraced tech in a new innovative way
to improve people’s bill-paying experiences. In
October 2018, it started rolling out new tech to its
sites, which enables customers to pay for their bill
using Facebook Messenger. Flyt created the bot
behind this technology, which could soon become
the ‘norm’ in restaurant chains across the UK.
To pay, all the customer has to do is open Facebook
Messenger, select the Byron restaurant location
and enter the table number. The bill is recalled
from the till system and displayed in Messenger for
the customer to approve and pay with one click.
You can even split the bill directly in Messenger.
The payment revolution is extending to devices used
by restaurant operators too. Prezzo recently piloted
a pay at table solution with Barclaycard called Dine
& Dash, but have since settled on a collaboration
between payments giant Verifone and Flyt, which
radically changes the functionality of a card machine
by offering direct integration with the till system
and offering simple bill splitting within the terminal.
This makes it easier for the wait staff to immediately
take payment when attending to the table.
Being able to split the bill easily is perhaps more
crucial than you think. For nearly half of Brits (45%),
one of the biggest issues they have experienced
while eating out is related to the bill; whether
that is waiting for the bill to come, or waiting to
pay. Younger people (18 to 24 year olds) appear
to be more frustrated than the older generation
when they are not able to split the bill easily, with
two-fifths (21%) saying this is a key frustration.
Related to this, Millennials are twice as likely to
fall out over splitting the bill as older people. Over
one in 10 Millennials (12%) have fallen out with a
friend or family member over trying to split the bill
fairly, compared with only 6% of Baby Boomers.
Could this be because conversations about money
have become less taboo? Or perhaps it’s simply
because Millennials are more money conscious and
have less disposable income to be able to cover
other people’s food and drink. Either way, introducing
technology to ensure a fast an efficient bill paying
service, with ability to split fairly, is crucial.
Experience is
everything
Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 11
Some brilliant new tech
solutions, designed to improve
both the customer experience
and support kitchen teams,
have been introduced over
the last couple of years.
For example, Winnow which helps chefs measure
and monitor food waste, or Kafoodle which is helping
businesses improve the management of menus.
When we think of other trends that will radically
change the experience, consider how Fingopay is
shaking up payments to allow payment through
biometric identity. Also on the horizon is the
significant change that is coming through Voice.
With over 2.7m Amazon Echo and Google Home
devices in household’s across the UK viii, Voice will
shortly become critical to every business trying to
attract customers, as we are starting to see with the
likes of Sevenrooms who are building Alexa skills
that enable restaurant operators to use a wide array
of voice commands for everyday in-service use. For
example, managers will be able to ask Alexa about
the guests sitting at table 12, while servers could ask
if any guests in the dining room have allergiesix
.
Dynamic menu pricing could also be crucial in
the future as it would enable restaurants to make
their offering more accessible in price sensitive
areas of the country. Interestingly, according
to the Flyt YouGov survey, just under a third of
people (30%) think restaurants outside London
should always be cheaper, even if they are part
of a chain. Technology for managing dynamic
pricing to manage price elasticity that is sensitive
to local perceptions of value becomes critical.
It is no longer sufficient to manage this complexity
with clunky Excel spreadsheets and data
sources disconnected from one another.
As part of our YouGov survey, Flyt decided
to poll Millennials (18 to 34 year olds) to get
a better idea of what technology they would
be most interested in seeing in restaurants, to
improve their dining out experiences – and
crucially, to make them eat out more.
The future of
eating out
Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018
32
%
22%
17%
15
%
11%
26%
24%
22%
RAW VEGAN VEGETARIAN
18%
40%
01.
Two-fifths (40%) of Millennials want to
be able to book a table via an app
or social media
02.
A third (32%) want to be able to
use their smartphones to get more
accurate wait times for a table
03.
Over a quarter (26%) want to be able to
order food on a tablet provided by the
restaurant – or on their own device
04.
Around a quarter (24%) would like to see
technology introduced at their favourite
restaurants which guaranteed that their order
wasn’t wrong. They would also like to see their
order confirmation on their smartphones
05.
Over one in five Millennials (22%) would
like to see tech that enabled direct
tipping into a waiter’s bank account
Top 10 dream restaurant tech
solutions for Millennials:
06.
The same amount (22%) want to see
personalised menus based on your dietary
requirements, which you can input
07.
Almost one in five (18%) want tech that
gives you the same amount of ingredient
information with delivery companies (Deliveroo,
Just Eat etc) as you would get at a restaurant
08.
A similar amount (17%) want to be
able to leave detailed feedback easily
online after visiting a restaurant
09.
Around one in seven (15%) would
like tech that helps you find out the
source of ingredients in a dish
10.
One in ten (11%) want tech to streamline
operations so you can eat out quicker
13
These insights are vital
for new and established
restaurant chains to take
note of, if they want to thrive
and survive in the current
competitive climate.
The onus is now on restaurants to harness digital
in sophisticated ways which speak directly to
customers to improve their experiences and
make them want to come back for more.
Pressure concerning accurate allergen information
for delivery companies has already caused
Deliveroo to significantly invest to improve the
information available to users of their apps,
but solving this in a siloed manner may not
be the most sustainable solution for ensuring
consistency of this information is available, no
matter how a customers chooses to order.
One of the brands that has started to invest and
succeed in this is Mitchells & Butlers, which owns All
Bar One, Toby Carvery and Harvester. It underwent
a three-year digital transformation, from back of
house to front, to improve its customer engagement
with very promising results. The company migrated
all of its 16 different brand websites onto a single
platform and introduced real­time pricing and the
ability to make a reservation and order a takeaway
online. It also introduced new tills, hand­held
ordering and integrated mobile payment using Flyt
technology. Following the three-year rollout, the
company saw a threefold increase in tables booked
online, with 50% of customers now booking online.
For all of this to work, integration is key. There are
so many disparate technologies out there but they
all need to be able to speak to one another to
really make the customer journey as seamless as
possible, therefore driving footfall and loyalty. The
beauty of Flyt is it enables external tech platforms
and apps to ‘talk to’ existing internal operating
systems, to provide a more seamless experience
for the customer and free up time for staff.
Consumers are getting faster. They are making
thousands of interactions and micro-interactions
every day, juggling yesterday with tomorrow, flowing
through their lives at the speed of light – and it’s
getting harder and harder for restaurants to keep up.
This report highlights some of the critical points to
consider and provides focus for responding to these
interactions. A restaurant’s delivery strategy needs
to be further augmented and enhanced with ‘joined
up’ tech to give in-house teams the best chance of
exceeding customer expectations. The dynamism
required with menu management is becoming vital,
with consistency across channels now mandatory, and
an ever increasing richness of information needed to
help guests make decisions that are right for them.
The technological wave society is currently
riding is growing larger – and restaurants
need to jump on board now before this wave
is so large that it wipes them out. Putting off
growing and continual investments into digital
transformation is like watching from the shore.
If a restaurant isn’t already making significant
investments in its digital transformation, it
will become harder and harder to keep up.
By the time the operation has figured out
that Instagram and Facebook are key to
marketing, guests will have moved onto a new
channel – likely a voice-enabled channel.
If restaurants aren’t already considering how to
give up control of the experience to their guests,
they risk getting ignored. They will become
irrelevant and irrelevance leads to an obituary.
If restaurant owners know that they are weighed
down by legacy tech, maybe information held in
too many siloed teams, or have too many people
doing manual work – they are risking being
too slow to adapt and too slow to deliver.
Built into the very fabric of Flyt is an intrinsic
understanding of this new, dynamic, evolving world
within which consumers are operating. Enabling
the right digital connections makes their journey
with restaurants bespoke, reliable, and swift; which
in turn makes a restaurants’ relationship with these
guests easy and exciting, innovative and vital.
Connecting new services and experience with
Flyt happens in days and weeks, not months and
years. Focused restaurants can lead the way.
They just have to choose the right direction.
Conclusion
Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 15
*Survey of 2,000 people conducted by
YouGov on behalf of Flyt in October 2018
1. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/
articles/2018-10-24/uber-s-secret-empire-of-
virtual-restaurants
i
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/
business/2018/02/25/bashed-bruised-casual-
dining-can-rejuvenate/
ii
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/
jun/28/uk-restaurant-numbers-drop-for-first-
time-in-eight-years
iii
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/
jun/28/uk-restaurant-numbers-drop-for-first-
time-in-eight-years
iv
https://www.justeatplc.com/files/
s3/2215/0045/3682/TAKEAWAY_ECONOMY_
REPORT_2017.pdf
v
https://www.penews.com/articles/private-
equity-loses-its-taste-for-eating-out-20171218
vi
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/
mar/05/one-in-three-uk-top-100-restaurant-
groups-lossmaking-study
vii
https://www2.deloitte.com/content/
dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/
ConsumerIndustrialProducts/deloitte-uk-casual-
dining-market.pdf
viii
https://uk.kantar.com/tech/digital/2017/digital-
voice-assistants
ix
https://sevenrooms.com/en/press/
sevenrooms-announces-new-funding-
from-amazon-alexa-fund
For media enquiries please contact:
Emma Gardner –
emma@weareaubergine.com
07557659827
Verity Clarke –
verity@weareaubergine.com
07708963533
Appendix
flyt.io

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Flyt - Future of Dining 2018

  • 1. What people are hungry for and the role tech plays in the restaurant industry’s future success A report by hospitality tech platform Flyt integrating new YouGov statistics* November 2018 flyt.io Dining Out Isn’t Dead:
  • 2. 04. Introduction by Flyt CEO, Tom Weaver 06. Eating out: The situation today 08. Success stories 10. Experience is everything 12. The future of eating out 15. Conclusion 16. Appendix One platform. Universal possibilities. Contents Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 3
  • 3. Restaurants, and the broader hospitality industry, are at the inflection point of radical change, mirroring the seismic shifts experienced by retail over the last decade. Dining out is under tremendous pressure. Rapid innovation is needed to meet consumers’ evolving needs, whether that is dynamic menus, or changing the customer experience so guests have more control over what happens and when. Despite all the challenging news throughout 2018 with notable brands shutting hundreds of locations across the UK, dining out isn’t dead. But in order to thrive, the hospitality industry can no longer resist technology and digital transformation. It’s time to embrace the future. Flyt was born out of the idea that we could help usher in a new era of customer experience in hospitality, and identifying the pain points consumers face is key to us advising restaurants, pubs and bars and building our universal integration platform. In our inaugural technology survey (conducted in October 2018), we’ve worked with YouGov to ask 2,000 people across the UK what turns them on about eating out – and crucially what they don’t like so much. Our findings are stark for the industry. The insights we’ve gleaned clearly demonstrate that many people, especially Millennials, are eating out less than they were at the same point last year due to money worries. People in full time work are dining out less frequently due to their wages not increasing and costs going up. Also, a surprisingly high number of people are worried about the situation with Brexit and are holding back discretionary spend. This consumer sentiment is very concerning as on the one hand, restaurants are working hard to tempt Millennials and working people through their doors – but the current macroeconomics suggest that restaurants need to work even harder to show value for these critical consumer groups. While there is considerable analysis and reporting on what is happening in the hospitality industry, there is a dearth of detail on what consumers are frustrated with – and therefore, what can be done to improve the dining out experience. The aim of this report is to close this gap, build knowledge about guests’ key frustrations and how the industry can respond to these. Indeed, as people have less spare time and money, experience is everything. With the time and money they do have, they want to spend it wisely. It’s increasingly clear that technology and the rapid digital transformation of our society means restaurants can no longer look at technology as optional – integrating it in the right way is now critical to attract and retain diners. In separate research we conducted earlier this year, we found that 68% of guests who spend the most when dining out say good use of technology improves their perception of a brand, and 62% are more likely to visit if a restaurant is making good use of tech. In this latest YouGov research, we’ve uncovered the key frustrations with dining out at the moment – and people’s expectations for how technology can reduce these pains. In this report, you will see that Millennials have helped us with future-gazing the tech solutions that will improve dining experience, and create more efficiency – hopefully propelling them to eat out more. In this context, delivery is increasingly becoming a core part of a restaurant’s offering. Bringing a restaurant experience into the living rooms of millions is the new normal with the likes of Just Eat and Uber Eats rapidly expanding with well-known restaurant brands. Taking part in this delivery revolution means a significant level of continuous innovation is needed to meet the expectations of guests. Even though they are dining at home, they are still the guests of the restaurant, so providing the best in-home experience possible is critical. However, our survey has uncovered some considerable frustrations with current delivery services, particularly in London. The findings in our report pinpoint what needs to change to improve their experiences – the sooner the better, especially when you consider the looming disruption resulting from the so-called “Amazon effect”. Indeed, the likes of Deliveroo and Uber Eats have begun setting up dark kitchens hidden away in industrial sites, which change the game significantly as they give brands huge opportunities to test what works, evaluate and innovate. This being said, the flip side of this is that they could force physical restaurants to be less and less relevant, unless they too up their game. Our report is wide ranging – and it aims to give some tangible food for thought as we approach a new decade. A strong digital strategy is a key pillar to businesses thriving, whatever the economic turmoil the UK happens to be undergoing. If this isn’t taken seriously, restaurant businesses will be outcompeted and will simply continue to keep closing. Because the future belongs to those who adapt. Tom Weaver Introduction by Flyt CEO, Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 5
  • 4. In February 2018, the Telegraph reported that a perfect ‘three-course meal’ storm of rising costs, cautious consumers and too many restaurants, was leaving the casual dining industry bashed and bruised. It was a rather dismal start to the year for the sector, with Jamie’s Italian kicking off 2018 by announcing it was closing 12 restaurants (a third of its sites) as part of a strategic review of the business. This was after the company shut six of its locations in early 2017. It seemed a ‘domino effect’ was in play because also in January, fellow Italian restaurant chain Strada said it was closing 11 branches due to disappointing trading and rising costs. At around the same time, Burger chain Byron announced forthcoming closures, and several sites have already shut up shop – most of them outside London. The casual dining industry’s winter of discontent seemed to extend well into the spring and blisteringly hot summer of 2018, with Prezzo, Côte Brasserie, Cau (owned by Gaucho) and Carluccio’s all announcing closures. Most recently, at the end of October 2018 GBK has announced 17 closures with 250 jobs at risk. Data from analysts CGA and corporate advisory firm AlixPartners in June 2018 showed that the number of restaurants in the UK had fallen for the first time in eight years. Graham Smith, the managing director of AlixPartners, told The Guardian he expected restaurant numbers to continue to drop throughout the year and larger chains in particular to slim down. With so many people seemingly obsessed with eating out and Instagramming everything they eat, the big question on many people’s lips was, ‘why?’ The truth is, the sector has suffered in recent years for a myriad reasons; from sales stagnating and costs rising, to rents soaring and broader economic uncertainty. This has led to one in three restaurant chains now being loss-making.vi Furthermore, despite people still loving to eat out, Peter Martin at CGA told The Guardian the last four years has seen a net of 4,000 net new restaurants opening – and a lot of chains have gone into areas they perhaps shouldn’t have. As private equity money has surged into the industry, the pressure for growth at all costs seems to have highlighted that this unbridled drive for growth through site expansion is actually a cost too far for many. For private equity backed brands, it now seems only international expansion can satisfy the demands of investors v. Private equity investors are now being more prudent with their ambitions in the sector following the surge in 2014-15, which in part has been a root cause of the closures we’ve seen subsequently in 2018.vii Despite all this, in September 2018 insights firm The NPD Group reported that casual dining is actually still continuing to grow in Britain. For the year ending June 2018, visits to British casual dining outlets were up almost 7% which is the equivalent to an additional 35 million visits, compared with the previous 12 months. But digging a little deeper, there is a worrying trend uncovered by Flyt’s October 2018 survey conducted by YouGov, with almost a third of people (30%) eating out less than they were a year ago.* Over a third of Millennials (34%) are eating out less than they did a year ago – the most likely age group to say this. Things haven’t changed so much for the over 55s age bracket with less than a quarter (24%) saying they are not dining out as much. Eating out: The situation today Whilst it is undoubtedly a challenging time for restaurants, the last thing they should do is raise prices to try and cover rising costs – as tempting as this might be. Indeed, our YouGov survey showed cost is a key factor for why people are choosing to dine out less, with over two-fifths of Brits (43%) saying they do not have enough disposable income, and the same amount saying it simply costs too much to eat out. It seems the accusation Millennials just want to spend their money on flat white coffees and avocado on toast is a fallacy, with three in five (60%) stating they are eating out less than they did a year ago because they want to save money. There is also evidence times are getting tougher even for those in full time employment, with over a third (34%) saying they have recently cut back the frequency they eat at restaurants because their wages have not increased but living costs have gone up. Furthermore, over one in eight people (14%) working full time do not eat out as much because of worries about Brexit. It is far from all doom and gloom though, as the very fact that not all casual dining restaurants are suffering is proof that some are doing things better than others. Perhaps we need to learn from these to see what works and what doesn’t? Are we eating out less than we were a year ago? YouGov survey of 2,000 respondents, October 2018 Do Millennials spend all their money on avocado on toast? Three in five Millennials (60%) are eating out less to save cash Whoiseating o ut less than they did a yea rago? Over a third of Millennials Less than a quarter of over 55’s Almost a third of people in the UK as a whole 34% 24% 30% Cost = A key factor for eating out less Two-fifths of Brits (43%) don’t have enough disposable income Two-fifths of Brits (43%) think it costs too much to eat out “My wages haven’tincreased but costshave gone up” 34% in full time employment eating out less Over 1 in 8 people (14%) working full time don’t eat out as much because of worries about Brexit Brexit Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 7
  • 5. It has been trading for over 25 years but the key to Wagamama’s ability to stay fresh for so long, especially at such a challenging time, is its ability to innovate. At the chain’s ‘noodle lab’ in central London, customers use digital tablets to review new dishes. Waiting staff at Wagamama’s restaurants were one of the first in the casual dining industry to use tablets to key in orders to create more efficiency. This might seem rather ‘old hat’ now, but investing in tech before its competitors in this way meant diners received a better, more streamlined dining experience, and kept going back for more. Another way Wagamama has stayed ahead of the game is by changing the menu regularly as British people’s palates diversify over time. As well as their ubiquitous chicken katsu curry (their most popular dish), we can now order more unusual items such as Korean bulgogi steak, Chinese bao buns and Cambodian samla curry. Recognising the rising need for more vegan options, the chain recently introduced the seitan “vegatsu” curry. Indeed, a menu with plenty of vegan, gluten- free and other allergy friendly options seems to be more crucial than ever. Our YouGov survey showed that for over one in 10 Brits (11%) one of the main frustrations they experience at restaurants is when there are not enough options for people who are vegan or have food allergies. The recent allergy scandals could well have an impact on Pret a Manger’s bottom line; only time will tell. But the latest figures show ‘Pret’ is thriving, and diversifying, in an otherwise gloomy climate. In September 2018, it reported that like-for-like sales had soared by 3.2% as revenue grew by 13.2% between December 2016 and December 2017. While other chains were shutting up shop, Pret opened 58 sites during this year and created 1,150 jobs worldwide. Again, the key here is that the chain has been keeping up with the times and diversifying its offering, responding to current trends. For example, the company recognises the power of social media and uses it as a tool to consult with its customers. Amidst the increasing pressure for establishments to commit to sustainability, Pret introduced a discount on any drink purchased for customers who bring in their own cup. Furthermore, in response to the growing interest in vegetarian food, several Veggie Pret stores have opened up in London. But healthy options are not the be all and end all. In the year to December 2017, fast food giant KFC reported pre-tax profits of £186.1m (compared with £58.9m the year before) after it refranchised 133 stores. The company stated the like-for-like sales growth of 3.8% was as a result of the continued development of new products and the roll-out of delivery through tech-enabled third-party providers. Flyt’s YouGov survey from October 2018 showed almost two-fifths (18%) of people are eating out less because they prefer to get a takeaway, and one in 10 (11%) said they would rather eat in front of their favourite Netflix series or movie. The hunger for ordering food online has skyrocketed recently with recent research from Barclaycard showing that consumer spending on online restaurant delivery services rose by nearly 20% in May 2018, compared with the same period last year. Branching out into delivery could be the key to helping restaurants survive, and thrive, in the current climate. But getting delivery right can be a big challenge in itself. Perhaps it is because they order takeaway more than anyone else in the UK – spending more than £1.4bn each year iv – but the Flyt YouGov survey showed Londoners are less satisfied with their food delivery services than anywhere else in the UK. Two-thirds of Londoners (66%) say they have experienced issues with food delivery, compared with less than half (45%) of people in Yorkshire Success stories and the Midlands. The biggest issue people living in the capital have experienced is with the food arriving later than expected (42%) followed by the food arriving cold (34%) and items missing from the order (29%). Other issues they have experienced are; poorly presented food (21%), the fact that the food was not up to the same standard as in a restaurant (21%) and the packaging had leaked (18%). Clearly, more solutions around better packaging, which retains heat, keeps food looking attractive and not leaking, are needed. But these statistics also tell us that the crux of the issue lies in introducing more effective and integrated technology, which is where Flyt comes in. An example of how Flyt’s platform is currently at play and improving efficiency in delivery is with Uber Eats. By working with Flyt, Uber Eats’ restaurant partners can fully integrate food delivery into their day-to-day operations, as well as save one hour of manual labour each day on the tills while minimising order keying errors. The partnership has launched with more than 100 stores across the UK and Europe, including UK national chains such as Papa Johns, Harry Ramsden, Slim Chicken, and Vapiano in Austria. More than 1,000 restaurants are expected to sign up by the end of the year. Londoners Yorkshire & the Midlands Other issues; when the food arrived it was poorly presented (21%), it wasn't up to restaurant standards (21%) and the food leaked (18%) 66% 45% Biggest issues experienced by Londoners are food arriving later than expected (42%), food arriving cold (34%) and items missing from the order (29%) 42% 34% 29% 21% 21% 18% Londoners are less satisfied with their food delivery services than anywhere else in the UK Experienced issues with food delivery Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 9
  • 6. Looking back at the majority of the success stories we have highlighted, a strong theme running through is that they have embraced technology in various innovative ways. From Wagamama creating a streamlined service by introducing tablets and Pret using social media to tap into customer views, to KFC winning at food delivery, all of this boils down to a commitment to improving customer experience. It is worth noting too that the ideal customer dining experience has changed. Back in the day, people had more time on their hands and would be more likely to luxuriate in a three course meal with wine. But there’s evidence things have moved on with the Flyt YouGov survey showing almost one in five 18 to 34 year olds (17%) do not have enough spare time to eat out in restaurants. You would have thought heading to a restaurant would be much more time efficient than buying ingredients and heading home to cook yourself a meal. But one of the main frustrations with eating out is the amount of unnecessary time that is wasted in a restaurant. It seems Brits are easily “hangry” and do not like their stomachs to be rumbling, with almost two-thirds (63%) saying their biggest frustration when eating out is when the food takes too long to come after they have ordered it. Streamlining service and creating a brilliant experience, it seems, is everything. Certainly, many restaurants will be friendly when they greet customers and serve food in good time, but then there is evidence they are failing at the final hurdle. The Flyt YouGov survey showed the average amount of time people are willing to wait between requesting the bill and paying it, is only eight minutes and 40 seconds. According to the statistics, men are more impatient than women, as they are only willing to wait an average of eight minutes and eight seconds for the bill. Women, in contrast, are happy to wait a whole minute longer (nine minutes, 10 seconds). It seems such a shame when restaurants go to all the effort creating a lovely dining out experience but then leave customers annoyed because they have not been able to pay and leave when they want to. Perhaps the answer lies in embracing mobile tech? Burger chain Byron might have experienced some challenges recently, but it is one of the restaurants that has embraced tech in a new innovative way to improve people’s bill-paying experiences. In October 2018, it started rolling out new tech to its sites, which enables customers to pay for their bill using Facebook Messenger. Flyt created the bot behind this technology, which could soon become the ‘norm’ in restaurant chains across the UK. To pay, all the customer has to do is open Facebook Messenger, select the Byron restaurant location and enter the table number. The bill is recalled from the till system and displayed in Messenger for the customer to approve and pay with one click. You can even split the bill directly in Messenger. The payment revolution is extending to devices used by restaurant operators too. Prezzo recently piloted a pay at table solution with Barclaycard called Dine & Dash, but have since settled on a collaboration between payments giant Verifone and Flyt, which radically changes the functionality of a card machine by offering direct integration with the till system and offering simple bill splitting within the terminal. This makes it easier for the wait staff to immediately take payment when attending to the table. Being able to split the bill easily is perhaps more crucial than you think. For nearly half of Brits (45%), one of the biggest issues they have experienced while eating out is related to the bill; whether that is waiting for the bill to come, or waiting to pay. Younger people (18 to 24 year olds) appear to be more frustrated than the older generation when they are not able to split the bill easily, with two-fifths (21%) saying this is a key frustration. Related to this, Millennials are twice as likely to fall out over splitting the bill as older people. Over one in 10 Millennials (12%) have fallen out with a friend or family member over trying to split the bill fairly, compared with only 6% of Baby Boomers. Could this be because conversations about money have become less taboo? Or perhaps it’s simply because Millennials are more money conscious and have less disposable income to be able to cover other people’s food and drink. Either way, introducing technology to ensure a fast an efficient bill paying service, with ability to split fairly, is crucial. Experience is everything Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 11
  • 7. Some brilliant new tech solutions, designed to improve both the customer experience and support kitchen teams, have been introduced over the last couple of years. For example, Winnow which helps chefs measure and monitor food waste, or Kafoodle which is helping businesses improve the management of menus. When we think of other trends that will radically change the experience, consider how Fingopay is shaking up payments to allow payment through biometric identity. Also on the horizon is the significant change that is coming through Voice. With over 2.7m Amazon Echo and Google Home devices in household’s across the UK viii, Voice will shortly become critical to every business trying to attract customers, as we are starting to see with the likes of Sevenrooms who are building Alexa skills that enable restaurant operators to use a wide array of voice commands for everyday in-service use. For example, managers will be able to ask Alexa about the guests sitting at table 12, while servers could ask if any guests in the dining room have allergiesix . Dynamic menu pricing could also be crucial in the future as it would enable restaurants to make their offering more accessible in price sensitive areas of the country. Interestingly, according to the Flyt YouGov survey, just under a third of people (30%) think restaurants outside London should always be cheaper, even if they are part of a chain. Technology for managing dynamic pricing to manage price elasticity that is sensitive to local perceptions of value becomes critical. It is no longer sufficient to manage this complexity with clunky Excel spreadsheets and data sources disconnected from one another. As part of our YouGov survey, Flyt decided to poll Millennials (18 to 34 year olds) to get a better idea of what technology they would be most interested in seeing in restaurants, to improve their dining out experiences – and crucially, to make them eat out more. The future of eating out Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 32 % 22% 17% 15 % 11% 26% 24% 22% RAW VEGAN VEGETARIAN 18% 40% 01. Two-fifths (40%) of Millennials want to be able to book a table via an app or social media 02. A third (32%) want to be able to use their smartphones to get more accurate wait times for a table 03. Over a quarter (26%) want to be able to order food on a tablet provided by the restaurant – or on their own device 04. Around a quarter (24%) would like to see technology introduced at their favourite restaurants which guaranteed that their order wasn’t wrong. They would also like to see their order confirmation on their smartphones 05. Over one in five Millennials (22%) would like to see tech that enabled direct tipping into a waiter’s bank account Top 10 dream restaurant tech solutions for Millennials: 06. The same amount (22%) want to see personalised menus based on your dietary requirements, which you can input 07. Almost one in five (18%) want tech that gives you the same amount of ingredient information with delivery companies (Deliveroo, Just Eat etc) as you would get at a restaurant 08. A similar amount (17%) want to be able to leave detailed feedback easily online after visiting a restaurant 09. Around one in seven (15%) would like tech that helps you find out the source of ingredients in a dish 10. One in ten (11%) want tech to streamline operations so you can eat out quicker 13
  • 8. These insights are vital for new and established restaurant chains to take note of, if they want to thrive and survive in the current competitive climate. The onus is now on restaurants to harness digital in sophisticated ways which speak directly to customers to improve their experiences and make them want to come back for more. Pressure concerning accurate allergen information for delivery companies has already caused Deliveroo to significantly invest to improve the information available to users of their apps, but solving this in a siloed manner may not be the most sustainable solution for ensuring consistency of this information is available, no matter how a customers chooses to order. One of the brands that has started to invest and succeed in this is Mitchells & Butlers, which owns All Bar One, Toby Carvery and Harvester. It underwent a three-year digital transformation, from back of house to front, to improve its customer engagement with very promising results. The company migrated all of its 16 different brand websites onto a single platform and introduced real­time pricing and the ability to make a reservation and order a takeaway online. It also introduced new tills, hand­held ordering and integrated mobile payment using Flyt technology. Following the three-year rollout, the company saw a threefold increase in tables booked online, with 50% of customers now booking online. For all of this to work, integration is key. There are so many disparate technologies out there but they all need to be able to speak to one another to really make the customer journey as seamless as possible, therefore driving footfall and loyalty. The beauty of Flyt is it enables external tech platforms and apps to ‘talk to’ existing internal operating systems, to provide a more seamless experience for the customer and free up time for staff. Consumers are getting faster. They are making thousands of interactions and micro-interactions every day, juggling yesterday with tomorrow, flowing through their lives at the speed of light – and it’s getting harder and harder for restaurants to keep up. This report highlights some of the critical points to consider and provides focus for responding to these interactions. A restaurant’s delivery strategy needs to be further augmented and enhanced with ‘joined up’ tech to give in-house teams the best chance of exceeding customer expectations. The dynamism required with menu management is becoming vital, with consistency across channels now mandatory, and an ever increasing richness of information needed to help guests make decisions that are right for them. The technological wave society is currently riding is growing larger – and restaurants need to jump on board now before this wave is so large that it wipes them out. Putting off growing and continual investments into digital transformation is like watching from the shore. If a restaurant isn’t already making significant investments in its digital transformation, it will become harder and harder to keep up. By the time the operation has figured out that Instagram and Facebook are key to marketing, guests will have moved onto a new channel – likely a voice-enabled channel. If restaurants aren’t already considering how to give up control of the experience to their guests, they risk getting ignored. They will become irrelevant and irrelevance leads to an obituary. If restaurant owners know that they are weighed down by legacy tech, maybe information held in too many siloed teams, or have too many people doing manual work – they are risking being too slow to adapt and too slow to deliver. Built into the very fabric of Flyt is an intrinsic understanding of this new, dynamic, evolving world within which consumers are operating. Enabling the right digital connections makes their journey with restaurants bespoke, reliable, and swift; which in turn makes a restaurants’ relationship with these guests easy and exciting, innovative and vital. Connecting new services and experience with Flyt happens in days and weeks, not months and years. Focused restaurants can lead the way. They just have to choose the right direction. Conclusion Flyt | Dining out isn’t dead - 2018 15
  • 9. *Survey of 2,000 people conducted by YouGov on behalf of Flyt in October 2018 1. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/ articles/2018-10-24/uber-s-secret-empire-of- virtual-restaurants i https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ business/2018/02/25/bashed-bruised-casual- dining-can-rejuvenate/ ii https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/ jun/28/uk-restaurant-numbers-drop-for-first- time-in-eight-years iii https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/ jun/28/uk-restaurant-numbers-drop-for-first- time-in-eight-years iv https://www.justeatplc.com/files/ s3/2215/0045/3682/TAKEAWAY_ECONOMY_ REPORT_2017.pdf v https://www.penews.com/articles/private- equity-loses-its-taste-for-eating-out-20171218 vi https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/ mar/05/one-in-three-uk-top-100-restaurant- groups-lossmaking-study vii https://www2.deloitte.com/content/ dam/Deloitte/uk/Documents/ ConsumerIndustrialProducts/deloitte-uk-casual- dining-market.pdf viii https://uk.kantar.com/tech/digital/2017/digital- voice-assistants ix https://sevenrooms.com/en/press/ sevenrooms-announces-new-funding- from-amazon-alexa-fund For media enquiries please contact: Emma Gardner – emma@weareaubergine.com 07557659827 Verity Clarke – verity@weareaubergine.com 07708963533 Appendix flyt.io