The smoking ban – a catalyst for change as Britain dines out |
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Download On 1 July 2007, the UK introduced a ban on smoking in enclosed public places. A Deloitte survey of 1,000 consumers shortly before the implementation of the ban found that 33% of consumers expected to eat out more often, given that they would no longer have to waft away smoke from neighbouring tables. Only 9% said they would probably eat out less. The view of the Licensed Retail team at Deloitte at the time was that the ban represented a real opportunity for pubs and restaurants to improve the quality and choice of their offerings and appeal to a customer base previously put off by smoky venues.
At the same time, other Deloitte research in the summer of 2007 looked at the experience in Ireland, which had introduced its smoking ban in March 2004. This concluded that although pub and restaurant revenue would probably drop in the short term, there would be a steady recovery over the next couple of years as the industry improved its non-smoking offering and new and returning customers enjoyed a smoke-free lunch, a quick drink with friends, or an evening out.
As it’s now two years since the UK’s pubs, bars and restaurants put away the ashtrays, we feel the time is ripe to reflect on what has happened in the intervening period and assess what the real impact has been so far. In this article we take a broad look across some of the statistics, which suggest that – although there have been hundreds of pub closures across the UK – pubs and restaurants that have improved their product offering have done much better than the dire predictions put forward in 2007.
For further information, download our article 'The smoking ban – a catalyst for change as Britain dines out'. (PDF, 143 KB)
The smoking ban – a catalyst for change as Britain dines out
(143.22 KB)
