Less than half of UK regions saw foodservicetraffic growth in H1 2026

Growth was concentrated in the south.

Of the UK's thirteen regions, only five recorded year-on-year growth in foodservice traffic during the first half of 2026, whilst eight remained in decline, according to Meaningful Vision’s foodservice market intelligence.

The regional picture stands in sharp contrast to the 2.2% decline recorded across the UK foodservice market as a whole and shows why national averages can hide significant differences in local consumer demand.

The South West led the country with foodservice visits increasing by 5.5% in H1 2026, up from 4.1% a year earlier. Greater London followed at 4.2%, whilst the South East grew by 3.1%.

London recorded more modest growth of 0.4%, but this represented a significant improvement over the 3.1% decline seen in H1 2025.

Northern Ireland, the strongest-performing region a year earlier, slowed sharply from 8.4% growth in H1 2025 to just 0.1% in H1 2026. Performance in the previous year had been supported by new store openings.

One possible factor behind stronger southern performance is domestic tourism. More UK staycations may be supporting restaurant footfall in the South West, South East and London. This should be treated as a possible contributor rather than the sole explanation for the regional differences.

Wales recorded the steepest decline, with visits down 9.1% year on year. Scotland followed at -8.2%, Yorkshire and Humber at -7.9%, and the North West at -7.5%.

The North East declined by 6.8% and the West Midlands by 6.5%. Even the East, the strongest-performing region outside the five growth markets, remained 2.2% below last year.

These figures cover consumer visits across restaurants, pubs and quick-service foodservice. Pubs and restaurants have experienced steeper declines than QSR, which may contribute to differences in regional performance.

The results underline how widely regional foodservice trends can differ from the national market.

“A national average tells operators almost nothing useful right now. Five regions are growing, eight are declining, and the gap between the best and worst performer is more than fourteen percentage points. Local tourism patterns, store density, competitive activity and consumer spending behaviour are pulling regions in genuinely different directions, and that is exactly the kind of detail operators need before they commit to a new site, a promotion or an investment decision," Maria Vanifatova, CEO of Meaningful Vision, said.