Pubs fare poorest for coffee
The new research involving over 1,000 UK consumers by UCC Coffee UK & Ireland also found that 77% of diners say a good coffee makes the difference between a mediocre and an exceptional dining experience. And with less than 50% expecting to get a great cup of coffee when they eat out, there’s a significant opportunity for operators to put quality coffee on the menu.
“With coffee on the high street going from strength-to-strength, it’s time for eating-out operators to take their coffee seriously,” said Phil Smith, Head of Category and Insight at the company, “Consumers are looking for specific attributes when choosing whether to purchase a coffee with a meal. Quality is the most important factor but this is closely followed by consistency and choice. Operators need to get the basics right and deliver a coffee experience that consumers will remember and can rely on every time they visit.”
Other results revealed:
- Three quarters of consumers prefer high street to restaurant coffee
- 48% of people choose to drink coffee with lunch, compared to 40% with dinner
- The five most important factors when choosing a coffee are taste, strength, freshness, brewing method and the roast
- Eight out of 10 consumers have chosen a coffee over a dessert when eating out…with 5% always choosing coffee
- Coffee quality is deemed highest at fine dining restaurants, followed closely by independent restaurants, then branded restaurants and hotels with pubs deemed the lowest quality by consumers.
The research involved 1,112 UK consumers and was conducted by Allegra Insight in August 2015.
