- Three-course festive meals at chains rise 4% to £36 per person
- Two-thirds of outlets raise prices by an average of 9%
- Visits to food service businesses fall by 27 million between January and September
- One-fifth of restaurants remove two-course menus to increase spend
The cost of a Christmas meal has climbed again this year, with new data from Meaningful Vision showing that the average price of a three-course festive dinner at UK restaurant and pub chains has increased to £36 per person.
The findings are based on price data from 5,000 sites operated by major hospitality groups. Although prices are up by 4% compared with last year, the rise is smaller than the 10% increase recorded in 2024.
Around 65% of outlets have raised the cost of their festive menus since last year, with an average increase of 9%. At the same time, 20% have kept prices the same and 15% have reduced them due to strong competition.
Menus in restaurants and fast-food outlets rose by an average of 7% compared with 2024. This is higher than the Office for National Statistics’ 5% rate of inflation for food and drink.
Higher costs, including labour, along with cautious consumer spending, are driving prices up. Meaningful Vision reported a -0.4% drop in visits to food service venues between January and September, equal to 27 million fewer transactions. For pub chains and casual dining groups, this translates to about 300 fewer visits per site each month. The fall is likely greater for independent venues.
In response, about 20% of restaurants have removed two-course Christmas menus for 2025, offering only three-course meals, which are usually up to £5 more expensive. Some outlets have also withdrawn free drinks from their festive packages, now offering food only.
Maria Vanifatova, CEO and founder of Meaningful Vision, said: “While the cost of eating at a restaurant or pub has increased this Christmas, the year-on-year difference is slightly less stark than we saw in 2024. A big reason for this is the pressures many hospitality providers are under in the form of rising costs, lower footfall, and more competition – that has forced more than one-third to maintain or cut their prices.
“That said, the majority of restaurants and pubs have raised their prices by more than inflation. At the same time, we are seeing more hospitality providers find other ways of increasing bill values and driving higher revenues, such as removing two-course options and some of the additional items that would typically be part of Christmas packages – such as a free welcome drink.
“Revenue figures for the industry as a whole may appear positive, but that mostly reflects inflation. Real like-for-like numbers show the market is under pressure and it will be a tough trading period for many restaurant and pub groups this Christmas.”