The dining scene in the North West of England looks set spearhead a change in restaurant trends across the UK, according to a new survey by accountancy and business advisers BDO.
While Manchester will continue to enhance its “food revolution”, BDO’s Restaurants and Bars Report claims that Liverpool, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh will all have a “strong year” with the opening of scores of new restaurants and eateries.
The firm also predicts that people will increasingly favour healthy eating in 2015 with concept stores selling juice, soups, salads and sushi — already topping the start-up list across the cities and larger towns of the North West — becoming more popular. Pop up and mobile outlets offering international cuisines will also continue to grow.
Pubs look set to have a big year with a focus on food, while American-style smokehouses and barbecue restaurants are expected to become even more popular to investors, restaurateurs and diners alike. To support its prediction the report cites the success of Red’s True Barbecue and Piper’s £6m investment in Hickory’s Smokehouse.
“Deal activity in the restaurants and bars sector has been buoyant during the last 12 months,” explained Kieran Lawton, a mergers and acquisitions director at BDO’s Manchester office.
“For the coming year, there are no signs of this slowing down, especially in northern cities which are increasingly seen as the go-to destinations for growth outside of London,” he said, while stressing that “national operators can see the potential that northern cities already have to offer”.
Among other trends identified by BDO, cashless payments are expected to become more commonplace, while many new concepts and start-up restaurants are likely to be given an opportunity next year due to the popularity of crowd funding.
The Restaurants and Bars report also had good news for people working in hospitality and catering industry. It warned that 2015 would see increasing pressure on larger operators and international chains to increase many UK employee salaries to beyond the living wage.
A separate report published late last year found that the London dining scene is also booming with the highest net increase in new restaurants since nationwide records began.
Harden’s 2015 London Restaurants Guide found that 148 establishments opened in the capital during the year just ended — with 47 closures — resulting in a net rise of 101 new restaurants and beating the previous 2006 high of 75 eatery start-ups.
The guide also handed out various awards to the city’s restaurants with The Ledbury taking the title of Top Gastronomic Experience and Chez Bruce winning the prize for London’s Favourite Restaurant.
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