Casual dining restaurants return to discount vouchers

Casual dining restaurant groups are offering consumers the largest array of discount vouchers in two years, it has emerged.

That's according to foodservice consultant Peter Backman, who has been monitoring the use of such vouchers through his Voucher Tracker since 2015.

While the use of vouchers is still considerably lower than it was at its peak a few years ago, as restaurants battled for customers during the credit crunch and recession of 2008 and 2009, it is markedly higher than it was two years ago.

The tracker, which primarily examines casual dining groups as well as some fast-food and food-to-go operators, showed that there was a 60% increase in the number of vouchers available to customers in July 2017, as compared with the same period a year before, and an 83% increase against July 2015.

Among those operators currently offering discounts are: Pizza Hut, which currently has a deal for 33% off the bill; Ask Italian (30% off mains); Café Rouge (40% off mains); Jamie's Italian (£10 off a bill over £30); and PizzaExpress was offering 30% off food until yesterday.

Earlier this month, under-pressure The Restaurant Group reported that it had resorted to discounting in its Coast to Coast brand as it tried to get its like-for-like sales back on track in what has widely been recognised as a tough trading environment and fierce competition between operators.

The Restaurant Group hails signs of improvement despite sales drop >>

British diners eating out more than ever, research finds >>

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