Capital Economy, Business and Finance
For some, the Saturday night takeaway has become the every night takeaway. New analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies says more UK residents choose to order takeaways than eat in restaurants or pubs. Since Covid, that trend has remained strong. Technology evolved to fit the needs of those then trapped at home. Delivery apps like Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat expanded to cater to a captive audience. Tens of thousands of drivers now work for each of the biggest delivery apps. Dark kitchens – where established brands save money by cooking food off-site solely for deliveries, often in large industrial units – are now commonplace in British cities. Most of those who order from dark kitchens don’t know they do, nor are they able to tell the difference. For these consumers, especially those without children, food prices have risen and stayed stubbornly high, making a takeaway less of a splurge by comparison.
