Hard Rock Cafe, Pizza Express prices rise despite cheap bargains
A new report has found that the cost of eating out has risen since the recession.
The cost of eating out in the UK has increased in the past 12 months, despite many restaurants attempting to lure people in during the recession with cheap bargains such as two-for-one deals and large discounts.Horizons, a consultancy firm for restaurants, hotels and pubs, carried out a survey of 400 menus which revealed that an average three-course meal now costs £18.45, compared to the £17.40 Brits were expected to pay in 2008.
According to the report, while pubs have advertised cheap bargains by lowering the price of a main meal by 32 pence, starters and desserts now cost 10.6 per cent and six per cent more respectively.
The researchers pinpointed chain restaurants such as Hard Rock Cafe and Pizza Express as the main culprits for raising the costs of starters over the past year.
Paul Backman, development executive for Horizons, said: "Operators can use starters and desserts to improve their margins as they are relatively cheap to produce."
"However, customers are very observant when it comes to price increases and could opt for just a main course if the price of starters and desserts rises too high compared to the cost of a main course."
Undergraduates hungry for a cheap bargain should make sure they are making the most of their National Union of Students card at places such as Pizza Hut, one expert recently claimed.
Writing in the Guardian, Miles Brignall reminded students that the card can act as a money-off voucher at the restaurant, offering a 25 per cent discount on all pizzas.
Written by Barbara Wintergreen
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