A national report has found that millennials with children eat in restaurants more often than any other demographic, a trend which has been mirrored at an independent restaurant group in Nottingham.
Bistrot Pierre has seen a shift in people’s eating habits in the last 12 months and has recorded a 68% increase in younger diners sampling the provincial-inspired Menu Enfant.
The three most popular dishes for petit diners are the mini burger, roasted chicken and fish goujons, Macaroni cheese continues to grow in popularity.
“People aged 18 to 34 are among the first generations to experience the fantastic value for money and excellent quality food that the restaurant industry now offers young families – and Bistrot Pierre is no different in its offering,” said co-owner Rob Beacham, responding MCA Insight’s analysis.
“Millennials have been found to represent under one third (29%) of the UK adult population but account for almost half of the total spend (43%) in the country’s restaurants – proving to be an important demographic for the industry to tap into.
“Within this age bracket the ‘new parents’ – those aged 24 to 34 – visit restaurants more than any other group, shown to be eating out an average of 157 times a year.
“We responded to the growing trend last year by curating a beautifully designed children’s activity pack, Menu Enfant; whereby the dishes were carefully decided following a children’s panel at our Harrogate bistrot.
“Perhaps unsurprisingly, our mini beef burger with frites and vegetable croutons has been our most popular dish amongst our younger diners, closely followed by the roasted chicken breast and fish goujons. We’re glad to say that the more classic French dishes have also performed particularly well and we’re looking forward to seeing the success of the menu continue into the New Year,” continued Rob.
As parents look to spend quality time with their children over October’s half term, the bistrots are busy preparing for an influx of enfants looking to sample the carefully selected variations on classic French dishes.
Salvatore Savino, general manager at the Nottingham bistrot said: “School holidays are always particularly popular with families.
“We’ve seen a significant increase in children visiting since introducing Menu Enfant and the figures which have been released surrounding young families being the demographic visiting restaurants the most certainly aligns with what we find in Nottingham.”
