2.2% fewer customer visits were recorded across UK fast-food, pub and casual dining brands in the first half of 2026, according to new Meaningful Vision data.
The World Cup offered only limited relief for pubs in June. Footfall remained 4.8% below the previous year, the sector’s smallest monthly decline of 2026, while visits to pubs and restaurants fell by 7.0% during Q2.
The overall result also hides sharp differences between segments and regions. Fast-food traffic returned to growth in June, chicken continued to outperform other categories and five UK regions recorded an increase in visits.
Meaningful Vision’s foodservice market intelligence combines traffic, pricing, promotions, locations and menu data, giving operators a more detailed view of market performance than traditional food market research alone.
Fast-food traffic returned to growth in June
Fast-food visits were 0.9% lower during the first six months of 2026 than in the same period of 2025.
June, however, provided a more positive signal. Traffic increased by 0.3% year on year, making it the first month of 2026 in which the sector returned to growth.
For operators monitoring the fast-food industry in the UK, the improvement suggests that demand may be starting to stabilise, although the wider fast-food market remains under pressure.
Chicken continues to outperform burgers
Performance across the quick-service industry remained highly polarised.
Chicken restaurants recorded 10.5% growth in customer visits during Q2, accelerating from 7.3% in Q1. Ethnic quick-service restaurants were also among the growing concepts.
Burger visits moved in the opposite direction, falling by 4.0% in Q2 after a 2.6% decline during the first quarter.
This contrast shows why operators need to look beyond total market averages. Demand is not moving evenly across QSR restaurants, and strong growth in one segment can conceal significant weakness elsewhere.
Category-level foodservice market research can help operators determine whether performance is being shaped by wider market conditions, direct competitors or changing consumer preferences.
Only five UK regions recorded traffic growth
Only five of the UK’s 13 regions recorded growth in customer visits during the first half of 2026.
Four in England: the South East, South West, London and Greater London. Northern Ireland also recorded growth, although at a slower rate than in 2025, when performance was supported by new store openings.
The stronger results in southern regions may have been supported by more consumers choosing UK staycations as the cost of travelling abroad increased.
These regional differences show why national footfall figures are not enough to support decisions about locations, marketing and investment.
Local tourism, consumer demographics, competition and outlet density can all cause regional demand to move differently from the overall UK market. Regional market intelligence solutions can therefore provide a more practical view of opportunity and risk.
Restaurant inflation remains above retail
Restaurant price inflation continued to significantly exceed inflation in food and beverage retail.
Menu prices were 6.8% higher year on year, four times the Office for National Statistics food and beverage inflation rate of 1.7%.
Delivery menu prices rose faster than in-store prices, increasing by 7.2%, compared with 6.6% for purchases made directly from outlets.
Price growth also varied considerably across menu categories during Q2. Lunch deal prices increased by 2.2%, while pizza prices rose by 3.1%.
By comparison, extras and dips, savoury bakery products and hot drinks recorded increases ranging from 8% to 11%.
These figures show how food and beverage trends are evolving unevenly across products, channels and occasions. Although restaurant price growth began to slow from March, consumers are still paying considerably more than they were a year ago.
Can foodservice visits recover in the second half?
Maria Vanifatova, CEO of Meaningful Vision, said: “The start of the World Cup provided a sentiment boost and filled pubs for live screenings, but the uplift was not strong enough to reverse the broader downward trend for the sector. More widely, the UK foodservice industry is still struggling, as consumers reduce how often they eat and drink out, while food and labour costs continue to rise, putting significant pressure on profits.
“February and April were the toughest periods for the industry, with a decline of almost 3% across the fast-food, restaurant and pub market. But June did bring a relative improvement across all sub-sectors, pushing fast food back into positive territory. The hope will be that this can continue into the second half of the year, with price growth beginning to stabilise.
“The industry asked the government to reduce taxes and, in response, received a temporary VAT reduction on kids’ meals and a reduction in business rates for pubs. Although these measures are unlikely to have a major impact, as many restaurants already offer free or discounted kids’ menus, operators are using them as an opportunity to offer better value to customers, which may encourage more footfall to return.”
June’s results provide grounds for cautious optimism, particularly for fast-food operators, but the wider UK foodservice market remains challenging.
The headline figures continue to hide important differences between categories, regions and sales channels. A regular market intelligence report can help operators identify where demand is recovering, which promotions are driving visits and how their pricing compares with competitors.
As inflation begins to ease, will better value be enough to bring more customers back in the second half of 2026?