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In August 2020, as hospitality began to re-open, sales across the market saw an improvement on previous weeks although they remained significantly below pre-COVID norms, Coffer Peach Business Tracker figures revealed

Tracker data, collected from 52 leading operators, showed that for the week beginning July 27 collective like-for-like sales in those sites trading were still down 24.3% on the corresponding week the previous year.

Overall, the UK’s hospitality sector saw sales plummet 87% in the second quarter of 2020, the latest UKHospitality Tracker collated by CGA revealed – equivalent to almost £30bn in lost revenue. The collapse in sales followed the widespread lock-down of restaurants, pubs, bars, hotels, attractions and other hospitality venues from mid-March. As a result, sales from April and June totalled only £4.6bn, down £29.6bn from £34.2bn in the second quarter of 2019. Hospitality contributed £133.5bn to the UK economy in 2019, following 3.9% growth – but the rolling annual value of the sector had dipped below £100bn, with 12-month sales to the end of June totalling £97.2bn. [Propelinfo.com].

Takeaway and delivery have come into their own during the various lockdowns, with many pubs and bars turning their operation into grocery shops, drive-throughs, takeaways and deliveries, adapting in a desperate bid to survive.

Food lovers have missed eating out and operators have filled the gap with takeaway and home delivery, providing a much-needed revenue stream during lockdown and it’s likely many operators will continue to make the most of the takeaway and delivery model to make up for reduced footfall and profits as the industry finds its feet in the new normal.

Takeaway orders had increased 33% since lock-down began, according to online takeaway delivery platform Foodhub.

Traditional fish and chips have proved by far the most popular. Sales figures from Foodhub revealed demand for the nation’s favourite more than doubled since lockdown kicked in, with a 208% increase in orders. [Foodhub May 2020] This is followed by Quarter Pounder Burgers (158 per cent) and Donner Kebabs (156 per cent) as homebound Brits look for ways to satisfy their taste for fast food. Other foods on the up include Sausage and chips (up 152%), Chicken Burgers (147 per cent) and Chicken Nuggets (146 per cent).

And with the nation’s undisputed love of fries, you can be sure they’ll be added to many more food orders.

Top take-out with Hot2Home

But it’s important to get the offer right with takeaway and delivery. There’s no better time to explore global leader Lamb Weston’s vast, exciting range of quality fries and potato products to help your customers please their clients and get back on their feet.

Even in ‘normal’ times, chips, wedges and fries make up 60% of potato servings out of home, accounting for the lion’s share of both value and volume, most being sold through fast food outlets and pub restaurants. [ADHB UK FoodServiceReview Nov 2019]

But pubs, like other takeaway and home delivery operators, still have to solve a soggy problem to keep everyone satisfied. Because fries don’t travel well. However crisp, golden and delicious they might be at the restaurant, they reach their destination cold and soggy.

That’s why Lamb Weston developed exciting unique new concept Hot2Home™ Fries, the award-winning concept wowing the fries’ home delivery and takeaway market.

Hot2Home keeps fries hot and crispy for an amazing 20 minutes. The Hot2Home concept works in a winning combination of two parts: newly developed fries with a special ultra-thin starch coating (a closely-kept secret recipe!) to ensure they stay crispy and flavourful longer – plus a patented packaging that works with the fries coating to stay hot and crispy for 20 minutes.

Skin-On Fries are available too, and all Hot2H products are gluten-free. Hot2Home is available as a single product for dining in or as part of the revolutionary one-fry solution for home delivery and takeaway with the patented package.

For innovative ideas, recipes and potato inspiration, head over to www.lambweston.eu/uk , call 0800 963962 or email us at salesUK@lambweston.eu