FEASTive outsourcing: UK diners shun the kitchen and book themselves into restaurants for Christmas Dinner
London, 01 December 2017… OpenTable, the world’s leading restaurant booking service, has revealed that 2016 saw a 43%* increase in diners seated on Christmas Day in the UK showing a continued trend of more consumers opting out of preparing their own Christmas Dinner in favour of dining out on December 25th.
Increasing numbers of British families are favouring family time over festive chores and moving their feasts to the likes of pubs and restaurants on Christmas Day. With it now possible to outsource everything from buying presents to wrapping gifts and decorating the tree, the festive season has never been so easy.
Although a classic British Christmas dinner proves to be the most popular choice for time-poor diners, those with more adventurous palates are opting for non-traditional cuisine to celebrate the festive season, with Italian, Indian and French** cuisine all falling into the top choices for festive bookings.
Adrian Valeriano, VP EMEA, OpenTable, said, ‘Increasingly we are seeing the ‘turkey carvers’ handing over the Christmas reigns and dining out with friends and family on Christmas Day. Precious time relaxing and enjoying delicious, professionally prepared food takes away any pressures that come with creating a home cooked meal. Plus if we want to forgo the traditional Christmas Dinner for a curry or pasta, then we can! With a wealth of great restaurants offering a variety of cuisines, diners are now taking full advantage of the options available to them.’