Grocery meals gain share as restaurants feel the squeeze

Cost is the biggest driver, named by 28% of consumers.

More than a third of consumers say they’re going to pubs, fast-casual, and full-service restaurants less often, according to Revenue Management Solutions.

At the same time, nearly a third (32%) are buying more ready meals from supermarkets, citing convenience and better value.

Value is the main reason people choose grocery meals, with 28% pointing to cost as the top factor.

Beverages are the most common grocery purchase, reported by 69% of respondents.

Quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are the exception. Nineteen percent say they visited QSRs more often in Q3 2025, with Millennials leading that increase—more than one in three in that group reported visiting more frequently.

Still, respondents expect to pull back further on fast-casual and full-service dining, even as 21% say they plan to visit QSRs more in the future.

Younger generations show the most optimism about future QSR visits, signalling strong demand.

Separate research from Lumina Intelligence shows consumers aged 25–34 continue to visit QSRs at higher rates than other groups, and are especially drawn to app ordering, loyalty programmes and click-and-collect options.

Those behaviours tend to lock in repeat visits and boost spending per order.

And amongst Gen Alpha, the habit is forming early: more than two in five UK teenagers buy fast food at least once a week, and 14% do so several times a week, according to Attest.