Keeping up with the rapidly changing menus of the UK’s fast-food industry is a full-time task, but one that pays dividends when faced with making strategic decisions under challenging economic conditions. Meaningful Vision collates and analyses this data, which reveals some trends in menus of key Fast Food players.
The number of items available on the typical fast-food menu has remained steady over the last 12 months, but with some notable shifts in certain areas. According to Meaningful Vision’s recent report, Pizza chains lead with an average of over 320 items, Coffee shops are offering around 190 items, while Burger and Chicken outlets hover at around 160 items.
Interestingly, fast-food menus in general have seen an average increase of 6% in their assortment size, while coffee shop offerings have decreased in variety by 5%. The most significant area of growth in the assortment size is to be found among the drink offerings of the typical menu, which have increased by 8% in the last year, primarily driven by the addition of a wider selection of cold сoffe varieties.
Maria Vanifatova, CEO of Meaningful Vision LTD, comments: “The strategy for rotating menu items differs across segments. On average, 20% of a typical fast food menu is refreshed over the course of a year. Coffee shops usually employ the most changes to their menu during the course of the year, sometimes completely overhauling their offerings seasonally. In contrast, other fast-food outlets generally offer a core selection which remains relatively unchanged over time. Whichever market segment may be your focus, it remains crucial to stay agile and responsive to consumer demands, especially during the period of economic challenges the fast-food industry is currently facing.”
Read the full story here.
