Restaurants turn to new deliveries for growth after flat December for at-home sales  

Britain’s top restaurant groups ended a soft year for at-home sales with fractional growth in December, but increased use of delivery services prompted near double-digit increase on a total basis.

The latest NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker, powered by CGA intelligence, reveals groups’ like-for-like sales last month were just 0.3% ahead of December 2024. It was flat at 0.0% in November, as some consumers tightened their spending in the run-up to Christmas. Across 2025, at-home sales growth rose above the UK’s rate of inflation in only two of the 12 months.

The Tracker’s data indicates a steady shift in consumers’ preferences from takeaways to the convenience of deliveries throughout 2025. Delivery sales in December rose 4.1% on a like-for-like basis, while the value of takeaway and click-and-collect orders dropped by 8.4%, the third worst figure of the year.

The migration means direct-to-door sales are now more than double those of takeaways. Deliveries were worth 11.5 pence in every pound spent with restaurants in December, while takeaways and click-and-collect orders generated 4.9 pence.

The NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker reveals significantly stronger growth on a total basis. Adding in newly-opened restaurants, or sites where deliveries and takeaways have been introduced for the first time, December’s sales were 9.5% ahead of the same month in 2024.

Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA at NIQ, said: “December’s figures round out a challenging year for restaurants in both eat-in and at-home channels. Total sales growth paints a much brighter picture, and shows restaurants are continuing to invest in their delivery capabilities. However, any extension of at-home services comes with the risk of squeezing dine-in sales and the need to protect tight margins. Managing costs, the quality of food and relationships with third-party delivery platforms will be three top priorities for restaurant groups as they seek to revive real-terms growth in 2026.”