Total December growth for restaurants driven by deliveries

Restaurant groups ended a soft year for at-home sales with fractional growth in December, but a spike in delivery services prompted near double-digit increase on a total basis.

While the pub and bar side of hospitality enjoyed a bouyant December, the latest NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker from by CGA intelligence has revealed restaurant groups' like-for-like sales last month were just 0.3% ahead of December 2024.

It was flat at 0.0% in November, as some consumers tightened their spending in the run-up to Christmas. 

The data comes from the restaurant businesses being tracked by CGA, including Azzurri Group, Big Table Group, Bill's, Bleecker, Cote, Dishoom, Honest Burgers, Mowgli, Nando’s, Pizza Express and Wagamama.

Recent findings indicate a steady shift in consumer preferences from takeaways to the convenience of deliveries throughout 2025. Delivery sales in December rose 4.1% on a like-for-like basis, while the value of takeaway and click-and-collect orders dropped by 8.4%.

CGA says the migration means direct-to-door sales are now more than double those of takeaways. Deliveries were worth 11.5p in every pound spent with restaurants in December, while takeaways and click-and-collect orders generated 4.9p.

Total growth

The tracker reveals significantly stronger growth on a total basis. Adding in newly-opened restaurants, or sites where deliveries and takeaways have been introduced for the first time, December’s sales were 9.5% ahead of the same month in 2024.

"December’s figures round out a challenging year for restaurants in both eat-in and at-home channels," says Karl Chessell, director of hospitality operators and food, EMEA at NIQ. "Total sales growth paints a much brighter picture, and shows restaurants are continuing to invest in their delivery capabilities.

"However, any extension of at-home services comes with the risk of squeezing dine-in sales and the need to protect tight margins. Managing costs, the quality of food and relationships with third-party delivery platforms will be three top priorities for restaurant groups as they seek to revive real-terms growth in 2026." 

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