Scottish families will be throwing the biggest Christmas Day celebrations, with 14 per centof those asked accommodating for 15 guests or more. And if you’re not tucking in to turkey, 45 per cent of us would choose steak as an alternative.
Statistics from Mitchells & Butlers, the company behind these brands and others such as Browns, Miller & Carter, All Bar One, Ember Inns, O’Neill’s and Vintage Inns revealed the number of festive meals sold in the first two weeks of December has nearly tripled from around 90,000 back in 2011 to a turkey-gobbling 260,000 plus last year.
Pubs and restaurants including Toby Carvery, Harvester restaurants and Sizzling Pubs have revealed that it isn’t just the 25th of December when Brits are tucking into their Christmas dinner, as company figures shows the number of bookings made throughout December to have nearly tripled in recent years.
84 per cent of people in Scotland are expecting to celebrate with family and 63 per cent of us look forward to this the most. Celebrating with friends (24 per cent) along with the office party (16 per cent) were also high on the list. Interestingly, around 14 per cent of us are looking forward to the office party the least.
Travel is another reason people are choosing to eat out. 38 per cent of people asked who live in Scotland will travel up to 20 miles for their Christmas dinner, whilst only around 17 per cent will travel further than 20 miles.
Catriona Kempston, Marketing Director at Mitchells & Butlers, the company behind these statistics, comments: “Whether you’re entertaining friends and relatives, travelling to see family, or even having to work over the festive period, Christmas is rarely stress free.
"Whilst carving the turkey on the 25th is seen as tradition, our survey shows that in actual fact, more of us are having more than one Christmas dinner as a result of catching up with friends and relatives at their local Harvester or Ember Inns, festive parties at All Bar One and even as part of a Christmas shopping trip when taking a break at Browns.
“One of the reasons for this is the simple convenience of eating out. Not having to worry about cooking means that people have one less thing to think about – making the prospect of having Christmas dinner out much more appealing.”
Mitchells & Butlers expects to serve up 714 tonnes of turkey, 207 tonnes of Brussel sprouts and 40 tonnes of Christmas puddings this year!
• Check out some further statistics published from us in our survey research and infographic above. With 1,700 pubs and restaurants around the UK, a local is never too far so don’t forget to drop by your nearest Mitchells & Butlers pub or restaurant here.
