Chart of the week: Cafes outnumber burger and chicken restaurants

Cafes outnumber these chains nearly three to one.

Data revealed by the Meaningful Vision report shows that bakery, sandwich, and coffee shop chains have 2.7 times more outlets in the UK than burgers or chicken (16.6 versus 6.1 per 100k people).
 
There are 8.4 Bakery/Sandwich outlets and 8.2 coffee shops per 100,000 population in the UK. 

The report focuses on shops run by fast-food chains with nationwide coverage, like Greggs,
Costa Coffee, Cafe Nero, etc. and some larger regional chains such as Cooplands or Gails. 
 
The first 5 leading regions in Bakery / Sandwich shops are North East (15.7), followed by Wales (10. 5), then London (9.4), East Midlands (9.3) and Scotland (9.3).
 
Meanwhile, the towns or cities with the highest number of bakeries and sandwich shops per 100,000 population are Gateshead (21.9), Portsmouth (19.8), Blackpool (17.8) and Newcastle (17.5), Stockton-on-Tees (15).

In contrast, Bedford, Plymouth, and St. Albans exhibit significantly lower numbers, with a density of outlets approximately one-third that of the leading cities. York (6.6) and Cambridge (7.7) also have modest numbers in this category, whilst Oxford (10.7), boasts nearly 30% more bakeries and sandwich shops, than Cambridge.

As per coffee shops, in regional terms, the absolute leader is London (11.3), followed by the South East (10.7), and the East of England (8.5), the South West and East Midlands share a similar score (8.3 and 8.1 respectively).

When considering data on chain coffee shops per 100,000, Edinburgh (18.8), Portsmouth (16.8), and Chester (15.4) stand out with the highest density. Notably, London lags behind Chester in this aspect, boasting 11 coffee shops per capita compared to Chester's 15.  Leeds, as well as other university cities such as Oxford, Exeter, and Bath, secure positions in the top ten. 

In stark contrast, Wolverhampton (3) reports the lowest density of coffee shops, with six times fewer outlets per capita compared to Edinburgh (18.8).

The density of sandwich and bakery shops in London is not consistent either. The highest number is concentrated in Central London (54.5), whilst the smallest number per 100,000 can be found in North London (7.4). We observe similar trends with coffee shops: Central London (78.9) surpasses North London (7.9) by nearly 10 times.
 
“The significant difference in the number of coffee shops, bakeries, and sandwich outlets, as compared to other fast food establishments, can be attributed to the habitual behaviour of workers in urban areas, where people will choose takeaway breakfasts en route to work while enjoying sandwiches and coffee for lunch.   Typically, these fast food snack spots are strategically situated along busy routes near transportation hubs, office and shopping areas, and tourist hotspots.  Although the restaurant market in major cities may seem saturated, there is still substantial growth potential for this sector in regional areas.  Having a keen awareness of the specific locations of these zones becomes pivotal,” Maria Vanifatova, the CEO of Meaningful Vision said.