Brits refuse to ditch the takeaways 

18/08/2022
Chopstix

Takeaways are still considered an essential luxury for Brits despite the rise in the cost of living and increased inflation 

RESEARCH by Chopstix Noodle Bar shows 1 in 4 Brits are still huge consumers of takeaway food, ordering a few times a week and spending as much as £2,880 per year, with London coming out on top for daily takeaways.

  • The UK is on average spending £2,880 per year on takeaways 
  • 25% of the population order a takeaway more than twice a week 
  • The UK is spending 9% of their income on takeaways alone 
  • Londoners are the biggest fast food offenders with 20% ordering a takeaway at least once a day

After a tumultuous two years and as the UK sees yet another rise in inflation, new research carried out by Chopstix Noodle Bar suggests that Brits are still spending £2,880 per year on takeaways. 

It seems that the cost of living crisis is doing little to affect the spending habits of Brits with half of the 2,000 respondents surveyed saying that they spend an average of £30 per takeaway with 25% of the population ordering a takeaway more than twice a week.

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Regularly indulging in takeaways leaves the average person out of pocket by £2,880 per year, despite rising living costs and with the average UK salary at £31,447 Brits are spending a whopping 9% of their income on takeaways alone.

Of the cities surveyed, the biggest spenders across the UK are Belfast, Coventry, Leeds and London, all of which stated that they spend an average of £30 plus per takeaway. Londoners are the biggest fast food offenders overall, ordering the most takeaways per week, with 20% ordering at least once a day and spending more than £30 per order. 

It seems that the Scots are counting their pennies more, with only 1 in 10 of people in Edinburgh ordering daily and with a much lower spend of £5 – £10.

RegionProportion Of Those SurveyedAverage Annual Spend
London47%£2,880
East Midlands47%£1,020
West Midlands 20%£920
Scotland48%£920
South West34%£920
North East33%£720
East of England62%£720
North West42%£720
Northern Ireland63%£720
South East63%£720
Wales67%£720
Yorkshire and The Humber42%£720

Although spending habits remain high across some regions, over half of those surveyed choose not to order a takeaway at all citing expense as the reason  – potentially feeling the brunt of the UK’s current cost of living crisis as rents and mortgages soar and energy bills higher than ever before.

This can be seen in Liverpool and Bristol, where diners favour the delights of home cooking rather than ordering in, with a third of respondents stating that they never order takeaways.

Additionally, the traditional 1pm lunch break rush across food venues in the UK seems to have had its day. 1 in 3 workers choose to bring in food from home, rather than ordering in lunch or choosing a meal deal. Aberdeen, Norwich, Oxford and Bristol were all following this trend when it came to lunch, with the majority (70% plus), choosing to bring in meals from home for lunch. 

The results highlighted that the once much revered meal deal is now on the decline, with less than 10% choosing the meal deal option for lunch. 

Are females tightening the purse strings as food prices rise, are they more health conscious or are they just more organised? Nearly half of female respondents bring in food from home compared to just a quarter of males. 

Chopstix offers an affordable takeaway option with a medium box with two toppings and a choice of base coming in at just £7.50, the noodle bar’s popular dishes are also available to order from UberEats, Deliveroo and Just Eat. 

Chopstix is focused on delivering a faster, fresher, tastier alternative to the rest of the high street. Wok Master chefs deliver nourishing noodles, wholesome chicken, beautiful beef and perfect prawns with fresh vegetables and superb sauces to make Chopstix the ‘go to guys’ for boxed fresh flavour. 

Chopstix is available in over 70 locations throughout the UK, with delivery dependent on the area code. 

For more information please visit: www.chopstixnoodles.co.uk

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