WHY EATING OUT STILL MAKES SENSE IN A COST-CONSCIOUS BRITAIN
Eating Out Can Be Great Value & Is Good for the Soul
David Fox, founder of Tampopo restaurants says consumers need to choose restaurants more carefully and order from their menus in a way that suits their budget. This will allow you to eat out more frequently, have more fun and feel better. Social interaction is good for the soul. According to psychologist Susan Pinker, the emphasis on close personal relationships and face-to-face interactions is a key indicator to a long and happy life. (See https://tinyurl.com/4k22hzhv) See Susan’s graph from her TED talk below.
Indicators of living a longer life
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Things you talk about when you eat at home · Who’s turn it is to wash up? · Did you get milk/bread? · I think we have run out of bin bags… |
Things you talk about when you eat in a restaurant · Who’s turn it is to book a night away? · What gigs shall we go to? · Where shall we go on holiday? |
Restaurants are in decline
In 2025 there was a decline in restaurants in the UK for the first time ever. We have a perfect storm of a cautious consumer market, unprecedented price rises for restaurants with increases in National Insurance, one of the highest minimum wage in the world and the highest VAT rates in Europe. At the same time consumers have more choice than ever how to spend their hard-earned leisure pound. As a result, it is not a surprise that restaurants are in decline.
Shop Smart
A generation ago, for most people eating out was a special occasion event – a birthday party, a leaving party an engagement or any other such occasion to celebrate. Over the last 30 years with the increase in disposable incomes the number of restaurants in the UK has grown significantly with much more choice and variety on most high streets. With this there has been the expectation to be able to eat out much more regularly, without having to worry about the bill. Has this now become a thing of the past?
David Fox from Tampopo believes that it should not be the case that people should only go out on special occasions, but they need to be perhaps more considered than they have been over recent years about where they go and how they spend their money. There are plenty of opportunities to eat out to suit every budget for every occasion. If you are more careful about where you spend and how you spend you can still have a great value experience especially dining out in between special occasion events.
How Restaurants Are Helping You
Examples of this includes:
• Brunch Menus: Many restaurants have a great value Brunch menu where often dishes are priced lower than the regular lunch and evening menu. https://tampopo.co.uk/brunch-lunch/
• Lunchtime Menus: Great options of lunchtime menus (Tampopo offers an £11 Workers Lunch Menu Monday – Friday before 5pm) https://tampopo.co.uk/workers-lunch/
• Seasonal Offers: E.g. January offers where restaurants need your business and offer dishes that works for many budgets. https://tampopo.co.uk/16-pounds-january-set-menu/
• Set Menu Options: Often bundle dishes at a more competitive price point than the A La Carte menu prices https://tampopo.co.uk/group-booking/
• Happy Hours and Bottomless Brunch: If you fancy a few drinks this can be the best value way to drink the afternoon or evening away. Keep an eye out for later happy hours too…! Also look out for 125ml glasses of wine, or schooners of beer – a way to drink a few glasses at a lower price and less of a hangover! https://tampopo.co.uk/bottomless-brunch/ https://tampopo.co.uk/drinks-menus/
Eat Better. Live Better. Spend Smarter
So rather than staying at home and wondering who is going to do the washing up, live better and support your local restaurant in a way that suits your budget!