December 19/Reading, England/PRNewswire -- Consumers report increased visits to pubs, with 61% of consumers frequenting pubs more often than once a month, compared to less than half (47%) reporting the same incidence a year ago. More consumers are calling on pubs to place greater focus on food offerings and expand their menus to serve a wider variety of dayparts and foods that emphasize freshness, quality and health.

"Consumers look to pubs for more than just traditional English fare and a pint," says Technomic managing director Darren Tristano. "By expanding innovative flavours and higher quality foods, providing a more comfortable and inviting ambiance and focusing on high quality service, these pubs can satisfy several key consumer motivations. Pubs that can differentiate themselves across these metrics can really thrive."

To help operators and others aligned with the foodservice industry more effectively identify opportunities for growth and establish a strong competitive advantage, Technomic has developed the "Market Intelligence Report:  U.K. Pub Update" which serves as a companion update to its "U.K. Pub Consumer Trend Report."

Interesting findings include:
Pubs appear to be well-suited for weekday as well as weekend occasions; 45% of consumers last visited a pub on a Friday or Saturday, and 40% visited on a weekday.
Non-alcohol beverages are increasingly ordered at pubs, particularly by women. In fact, more women report ordering a non-alcohol beverage (54%) than an alcohol beverage (50%) on their last pub visit.
Consumers, particularly those aged 18-34 say enhanced menu variety would entice them to visit pubs more often.
While consumers give major pub brands high marks on beverage quality (88%), they give pub chains lower ratings on availability of healthy options (62%) and unique items (51%).