New booking data from restaurant reservation platform TheFork reveals that 42% of UK restaurant bookings this summer were made with a promotion, up from 36% last year. That marks a 61% surge in discount-led reservations, signalling a tipping point where value-first dining has become the new normal.
Far from treating promos as an occasional perk, diners are making them a default part of the dining experience. On average, UK customers saved £10 per food bill, or around 35% off their meal, showing that cost-consciousness is shaping not only how often people eat out, but also where and what they order.
TheFork’s findings reflect a wider shift highlighted by Barclays’ latest 10 Years of Spend report, which showed that two-thirds of consumers (66%) are paying more attention to their budgets than they did a decade ago. In restaurants, this is reinforcing a new cultural behaviour: the rise of the “value-first diner.”
Patrick Hooykaas, regional managing director at TheFork, said:“It’s been a challenging period of economic uncertainty for both diners and the hospitality industry, but our data proves people still want to eat out; they’re just doing it smarter. We’re proud to help restaurants attract new customers while giving diners unforgettable experiences that don’t break the bank.”
Whilst London is often considered the UK’s most expensive place to eat out, TheFork’s data upends this myth. The average pre-discount bill in London is £28.68 – only the 10th highest in the country. It’s smaller cities and commuter towns that top the leaderboard for both big spending and bigger savings, with Cheshunt in Hertfordshire racking up the highest average bill at £36.07 with £18.03 saved per meal (50% off), followed by Belfast and Peterborough.
