The demand for takeaways in the UK
Takeaway has been a concept that originated during ancient times; it is a meal or other food related items that is usually prepared by a fast food restaurant and one’s has to go pick it up or it can be delivered to one’s doorstep. Nowadays takeaways are very common worldwide and especially in the United Kingdom since most of the citizen are always busy and occupied with work.
The demand for takeaways has increased during the last few decades. According to The Caterer, takeaway sales have increased by roughly 54% with the rise of delivery companies. This clearly shows that the increase of new delivery companies such as UberEats, Deliveroo, DoorDash, Just Eat and many others have had a positive impact on increasing the demand for takeaways by more than 50%. The increase in delivery companies has created mobile applications that allow one to easily create an order that could be delivered to them or they would pick it up from the restaurant. It’s simply at one’s fingertips.
This diagram exhibits the takeaway in the United Kingdom has boomed. There is no shock when Northern Ireland is the highest region that spends the most money on takeaways per week and its spending’s have been increasing by 18.8% since 2014; while the South West of the UK spends the least money on takeaways per week, they both spend 12.93 pounds and 5.62 pounds respectively. While London, the most commercial and lively city spends roughly half of Northern Ireland, it spends 8.20 pounds per week. However, the highest employment has been in the North West; whereas the least has been in Northern Ireland, the employment is 29,816 and 7837 respectively. The region that spent the most was London; though the least was North East, they spent 1.4 billion pounds and 0.38 billion pounds on takeaways respectively.
The line graph indicates that incomes for the private sector are expected to increase during 2018 which results in more disposable income. With an increase in disposable income the working class has more money that they can spend on their wants like more luxurious things or entertainment or even takeaways. Overall, the income of the private sector has remained below 4.0 over the last 12 months.
Some restaurants give promo codes to those who order a takeaway. Another reason why demand for takeaways has increased is most restaurants are always giving away discounts and coupons. There are a vast number of websites that provide promo codes, for example Domino’s Pizza gives a 30% off orders over 20 pounds, McDonald’s gives a 2 pound amazon voucher when one purchases meals over 30 pounds and many more offers provided by other restaurants. That means restaurants continuously aim to gain new customers and maintain the existing ones to create customer loyalty that benefit both parties.
Working individuals are always busy as a result they don’t have enough time to cook for others or even for themselves so they tend to buy ready-made food from restaurants or diners. According to the Daily Mail a study has uncovered that majority of British people are turning to takeaways in order to save time and money. In addition, a fraction of the Brits claim that they’d rarely cook a traditional roast or even any other type of food which contributed to a 15.7% decline. Therefore, the working capital usually orders food on the go to in order to not waste their time and spend it effectively while doing other things that are more essential or important to them than cooking.
In recent years more restaurants offer take-out options for high quality dining at home. Thus it has been much more convenient to call the restaurant and place an order that will be prepared for one to pick up on their way home or to work, or even delivered to one’s home; which means that they don’t have to leave the comfort of their couch. According to Holly Ryan the idea that takeaways are cheaper than eating at home is a common myth though many people are likely to believe it. Research conducted online and through mobile takeaway ordering companies, they found more than half of the citizen were buying takeaways rather than cooking at home. This suggests how much more convenient it is to buy takeaways. Correspondingly, restaurants are much busier nowadays thus there may not be enough seats for all the customers especially during brunch, lunch and dinner which are usually the busiest times during the day.
The above diagram clearly illustrates the takeaway demand for different cuisines have increased between the years 2014 and 2017. According to the graph the Syrian cuisine has been the most popular as it increased by 907% between 2014 and 2017. While the demand for Grill/BBQ cuisine has not been the most popular, it only increased by 390% throughout 2014 to 2017. Whereas the breakfast and desserts only differed by 4% over 2014 to 2017. The sandwiches’ demand increased by 402% through 2014 to 2017.
Similarly, growth in population can cause an increase in demand for takeaways in the UK. The bar chart below shows that the population in the UK has increased during the past 6 years and it’s forecasted to increase at a roughly steady rate for the next 4 years. This is another piece of evidence which proves with the rise in population demand increases.
The rise in demand for takeaways is aiding the UK’s economy by allowing it to develop and thrive. According to federation of fish friers takeaways are supporting more jobs; which means that unemployment is reducing because delivery companies are recruiting a lot of new employees to deliver the takeaways. Moreover, federation of fish friers predict employment to reach 250,000 by 2020 and will rise above 261,000 by 2021. In addition The Guardian states that the unemployment rate has decreased by six percent which also proves that with the rise of these new delivery companies unemployment falls.
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Fastest growing types of takeaway food based on increase in orders in the United Kingdom (UK) between 2014 and 2017 (2018) [Online image]. Available from: [Accessed 10/03/2018].
Holly Ryan (2015) More than 50 per cent of Kiwis think takeaways the cheaper option. Nz Herald [Online] 22/9. Available from: [Accessed 09/03/2018].
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