Rising costs are weakening restaurant demand

Eating out has become more expensive in the UK as pressure on household budgets grows, while YouGov data shows that more than a third of Britons are cutting back on restaurant visits. Businesses have had to raise menu prices because of higher food, energy, wage and tax costs.

In response to softer demand, restaurants are turning to a range of promotions to fill empty tables and retain customer loyalty. Points schemes, off-peak discounts, kids’ meal offers and new-opening promotions are among the main ways operators are trying to lower the bill for diners.

Where are the biggest bill-cutting promotions focused?

One of the most common tools restaurants use is loyalty programmes. For example, Pizza Express Club offers customers free items after certain levels of spending and visits, while systems such as Nando's and Tastecard also aim to reward repeat customers with discounts.

  • Diners who book early or late, outside the lunch and dinner rush, can be charged less.
  • During school holidays, some chains offer children free meals or meals for £1 when accompanied by a paying adult.
  • Newly opened restaurants sometimes run temporary price cuts to draw in customers during launch periods.

Why are off-peak hours becoming more important?

Apps such as First Table and EatClub offer participating restaurants food discounts of up to 50% at their first or last service times. Under this model, businesses boost occupancy during hours that might otherwise stay empty, while customers pay a lower bill in return for a small booking fee.

According to Shokofeh Hejazi of The Food People, early dining can appeal because it offers a calmer setting; drinks consumption is also usually lower at these times, which helps reduce the overall spend. Breakfast meet-ups can be more budget-friendly for the same reason, since they usually revolve around a single main meal.

New openings and supermarket points can also help stretch budgets

New restaurant openings, known in the industry as a soft launch, are another route to saving money. To advertise their arrival and speed up word-of-mouth promotion, businesses may offer discounted prices in their first few weeks; some venues keep those prices in place for longer on quieter days such as Mondays.

Supermarket loyalty points such as Tesco Clubcard can also be used toward restaurant spending. In an example cited by BBC Business, every 50p of Tesco points can be converted into a £1.50 voucher at participating Prezzo Italian branches.

Food-waste apps can unlock extra savings

Food surplus apps such as Too Good To Go and Olio sell unsold items from restaurants or shops to consumers for free or at well below normal prices. While the contents are not always known in advance, they can reduce grocery bills and leave more room in the budget for eating out.