Delivery drives UK restaurant growth as at-home sales rise 4% in May
Delivery now represents 14.2p of every £1 spent with restaurants.
Restaurant groups in Britain recorded their strongest organic growth in delivery and takeaway sales for 18 months in May, with at-home revenue rising 4% compared with the same month last year, according to the latest NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker.
The increase was slightly above the UK’s current inflation rate, measured by the Consumer Prices Index, and marked a return to above-inflation growth after four consecutive months of weaker performance.
It was the highest growth rate recorded by the tracker since November 2024, with further demand expected from the men’s football World Cup in June and July.
The rise was largely driven by delivery orders, which increased 8.9% on a like-for-like basis.
Delivery now represents 14.2p of every £1 spent with restaurants, up from 10.9p two years earlier in May 2024.
The expansion of delivery services across the country has also lifted overall delivery sales, including revenue from new restaurants and operators launching delivery for the first time.
On that basis, total delivery sales increased 16.3% in May.
Takeaway and click-and-collect sales moved in the opposite direction, falling 7.8% during the month.
The category has now declined for 14 consecutive months as more customers shift towards ordering directly to their homes through third-party delivery platforms.
