Page 18 - Foodies Follow Foodies

Mummy I’m

hungry

Geoff Campion, Account Director at Fleet Street
Communications, takes stock on the
devastating impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had
on the casual dining market. With the
future of these bastions of the family dining circuit in
jeopardy, he puts forward the case that
we should all get behind the Government’s Eat Out to
Help Out initiative this August.

The Covid-19 pandemic has fundamentally changed the way we
live our lives. Seismic social shifts, which were slowly burning on a
long-term trajectory, have accelerated overnight bringing about
substantial change to how we live our lives.
Businesses have realised that employees can not only work from
home, but that they’re arguably more productive when they do.
People, on the whole, have invested money and time into home
cooking as they try and replicate the meals they eat while out of
the house, with sales of home cooking equipment rising
significantly over the period.
Whilst all of this was occurring, casual dining companies were
haemorrhaging money. With fixed overheads, such as rent, and no
money coming in due to the Government enforced lock-down, the
pandemic dealt a hammer blow to the hospitality industry, with the
casual dining market bearing a significant proportion of the pain.

The casual dining market has been saturated for a number of years,
ever since a private equity funded boom in the years following the
last financial crisis. Whilst competition has
driven up quality and down prices, it has squeezed operating
margins to the very limit, meaning casual dining operators are not
cash-rich businesses. This pandemic might be the nail in the coffin
for some household brands.

So, what? Some might say that a world without Frankie and
Benny’s, Bella Italia, Nando’s or Thaikhun would be a better place.
But these brands play a pivotal function for families, providing a port
in the storm when there travelling in an unknown location and need
to grab a last minute bite to eat, or if they are looking for a venue to
host a party for twelve boisterous eight year-olds, or just grabbing
some ritualistic food before a trip to the cinema.
F O O D I E S F O L L O W F O O D I E S | 1 7