UK diners lean toward group meals despite cost pressures
36% of Brits want to see more group and private dining in 2026.
Nearly one in two (44%) of UK diners said they prefer eating with others over going solo in 2026, a report by restaurant technology firm OpenTable revealed.
The report revealed that group dining also grew by 5% in 2025 YoY, with the most popular days for group dining on Mother's Day weekend and major sporting events, including rugby matches.
36% of Brits want to see more group and private dining in 2026. Meanwhile, Brits are set to dine out on average six times a month in 2026, with Gen Z particularly enthusiastic, planning to dine out nine times a month, second only to Millennials at ten.
However, this is contrary to a report by YouGov that revealed that 38% of British diners say they’re eating out less often than before.
That figure climbs to 46% amongst people on lower incomes, 36% amongst middle-income earners, and 29% amongst higher-income groups, suggesting more consumers are cutting back, largely for financial reasons.
Roughly eight in 10 diners believe restaurant prices have gone up over the last year.
