CGA/Reputation Study Reveals AI and Economic Pressures Driving New UK Consumer Habits in Hospitality

CGA/Reputation Study Reveals AI and Economic Pressures Driving New UK Consumer Habits in Hospitality

Artificial Intelligence and economic challenges are transforming the way British consumers discover and review restaurants, pubs and bars, new research from Reputation and CGA by NIQ reveals.

The exclusive report shows AI tools like ChatGPT have already become a mainstream source of information about hospitality venues. A quarter (26%) of consumers now use them to learn more about a venue-a level of usage on a par with Google Maps (27%) and close behind other popular sources like social media platforms (32%).

AI is also transforming the way potential guests find and leave reviews. Three in five (60%) already trust AI-generated review summaries that distil sentiment from high volumes of feedback, and 13% trust these digests more than individual posts. Meanwhile, half (51%) say they would be likely to leave a review if an AI tool asked them in the right tone and at the right moment. Other insights from the research include:

• Chatbots are changing communications, and more than two in five (43%) consumers have interacted with one when contacting a venue or ordering

• AI is personalising the discovery process, with more than a third (37%) of guests already using an AI tool to obtain recommendations tailored to preferences

• There are concerns about negative impacts, with 39% worried about AI's potential overriding of personal contact and 33% concerned about privacy and security issues.

Anthony Gaskell, Managing Director, EMEA at Reputation said: "AI isn't a future trend in hospitality: it's already here. AI-powered search is transforming the consumer decision-making process, making it deeply personal and emotionally driven. Operators need to adapt quickly to this new age of personalisation, and harness AI to improve their ability to hear consumer voices, understand what they need, and take actions that make those consumers feel heard. Combined with economic pressures that impact consumer behaviours, AI needs to enable deeper, more personal interactions that make hospitality experiences so special."

Changing habits and rising expectations

The research also sets out the seismic impacts of rising costs on Britain's eating and drinking out habits. More than a quarter (28%) of consumers say they are going out for drinks less often than they were a year ago-8 percentage points more than those who are doing so more-but increased prices mean they are spending more when they do so. Economic issues are also:

• Polarising spending, with a third (34%) of consumers typically spending £100+ a month on eating and drinking out, but nearly as many (31%) spending less than £40

• Heightening demands, with a third (34%) of consumers having higher expectations of venues than a year ago

• Sharpening focus on value, as price is now the most important consideration in consumers' venue choices, ahead of the quality and range of food and service.

The report has some encouraging forecasts for spending in 2026. More than a third (36%) of consumers expect to eat and drink out more often over the next year-significantly more than the 21% who think they will go out less.

Grete Ovaldaite, client business partner at CGA by NIQ, said: "It has been a turbulent year for hospitality businesses and consumers alike, and spending constraints are creating an ultra-competitive environment. We can be cautiously optimistic that consumer confidence will improve in 2026, but operators will need to stay laser-focused on delivering consistently good-value, high-quality experiences that don't just meet people's heightened expectations but beat them."

The three Rs: Reviews, Revisits and Recommendations

CGA by NIQ's research delivers a deep dive into ways to generate reviews and inspire all-important revisits and recommendations. It spotlights the importance of encouraging guests to give feedback and ensure business listings provide the information that people need to discover venues. The survey also flags the value of:

• Responsive communications, with two-thirds (66%) of consumers expecting replies to their contact with venues within a few hours

• Compelling social media content, as nearly three in five (58%) consumers are more likely to visit a venue if their friends post about it on social media

• Recency in reviews, with nearly three quarters (73%) of consumers not trusting reviews that are older than three months to accurately describe a venue.

The new report is packed with expert recommendations for ways operators can embrace new AI tools, adapt to economic challenges and generate more reviews, recommendations and revisits. It is based on an exclusive survey by CGA by NIQ and Reputation of a nationally representative sample of 755 consumers in Britain, conducted in August 2025.

This press release includes forward-looking statements that reflect NielsenIQ's (NIQ) current expectations and projections about future market trends and consumer behaviour. These statements are based on available information and reasonable assumptions but are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ. NIQ does not undertake to update these statements, except as required by law.

About Reputation

Reputation is the only platform that empowers companies to fulfil their brand promise by measuring, managing, and scaling their reputation performance in real-time, everywhere. Functioning as a business' eyes and ears in the spaces where customers talk, post, review, and recommend, Reputation AI-powered product stack analyzes vast amounts of public and private feedback data to uncover predictive insights for companies to act on, and improve their online reputations. Visit reputation.com to learn more.

About CGA by NIQ

CGA by NIQ provides definitive On Premise consumer intelligence that reveals new pathways to growth for the world's most successful food and drink brands. With more than 30 years of research, data, and analytics, CGA by NIQ provides the Full View™.CGA by NIQ works with food and beverage suppliers, consumer brand owners, wholesalers, government entities, pubs, bars, and restaurants to protect and shape the future of the On Premise experience. Using complete and clear understanding of measurement and insights, CGA by NIQ provides a competitive edge to guide winning strategies for On Premise businesses. For more information, visit https://www.NIQ.com or https://www.cgastrategy.com.