Blog | Hospitality + Foodservice Insight Experts

Wine buying decisions in hospitality

May 5, 2022

Customers are crying out for support when buying wine, according to our new research which found that 1-in-3 customers don’t feel confident ordering wine in pubs, bars and restaurants, with 1-in-9 admitting that they often find the experience intimidating. The research, in partnership with Hallgarten & Novum Wines, looks at the wine buying decisions when ordering … Read More

Return of the pub: pub customer trends in 2022

April 19, 2022

Our latest research study looks at the latest pub customer trends and found that pub customer confidence is firmly back at pre-pandemic levels and that pubs are now more important than ever to Brits with 56% of pub-goers saying they will visit the pub at least once week over the next 12 months. Our new … Read More

Super-sized sporting opportunity for pubs

March 28, 2022

New research we’ve carried out in partnership with FANZO (formally MatchPint) suggests that 16.1 million UK adults intend to watch at least some of this year’s Men’s FIFA World Cup in a pub or bar and an impressive 8.8 million want to watch a 2022 Women’s Football European Championship game. Released end of March, the … Read More

The Final Frontier: Technology in Pubs

March 23, 2022

Blake Gladman, Strategy & Insights Director at KAM shares his thoughts on the impact of technology on the staff and customer experience in pubs, based on research from KAM’s latest research- Return of the Pub– in association with The BII and kindly supported by Brakes and Stint as well as research in patnership with pointOne. … Read More

The Family Dining Opportunity

January 27, 2022

Katy Moses, MD at KAM, reflects on the findings from KAM’s latest research into the family dining opportunity for hospitality and why we don’t see kid’s meals on Instagram… (As seen in Propel Friday Opinion.) “‘Beige’ is how many parents describe the current options for kid’s food in hospitality venues. ‘Boring’ comes a close second. … Read More

Chris Welham joins KAM as Non-Exec Chair

January 6, 2022

KAM has today announced that Chris Welham has joined the Hospitality & Grocery research consultancy’s senior management team as a Non-Executive Chair, effective immediately. Welham brings over 25 years of hospitality experience to the company having previously been CEO of Wadworth, divisional MD at Spirit and Operations Director at Greene King. He is currently MD … Read More

Kindness Counts

January 5, 2022

Almost three quarters of UK adults say it is important that we learn from the Covid-19 pandemic to be kinder as a society. As we reflect on lessons learnt over the last two years there is a clear message coming from the ashes: perhaps we could be a little kinder to ourselves, to each other … Read More

Merging People and Technology

December 1, 2021

The cracks caused by staff shortages are really beginning to show according to new consumer and hospitality staff research we carried out with pointOne. The research reveals customer experience, particularly in QSR, is being damaged by the current crisis. In the survey of 500 QSR customers and 100 frontline staff, nearly 2-in-3 customers had noticed … Read More

Lets talk about hygiene

November 5, 2021

Rollback to pre-pandemic and hygiene probably didn’t weigh heavily on your mind as an operator. It was more about experience and ambiance. Fast forward to 2021 and despite the initial flurry of high-visibility Covid measures hastily implemented in many venues, most operators have started to shift their focus to more ‘exciting’ things- whilst keeping standards … Read More

Legacies of lockdown for the Great British Pub

September 30, 2021

One of the things this pandemic has done to the hospitality industry is exacerbate the same challenges that many publicans have faced for many years; how to drive more (and new) footfall and increase incremental spend in their pubs. It could be said that pubs are one of the more traditional outlets on the typical … Read More

Celebrating all things beer

September 27, 2021

This week is ‘Cask Ale Week’ – the annual celebration of everything ‘cask’, with pubs throughout the country running promotions, competitions, events, and beer festivals to celebrate the classic British pint. Way back during the first lockdown (at least 2,897 years ago now!), KAM carried out some research in partnership with Brew//LDN; we had a strong … Read More

Consumer intentions for Christmas 2021

September 16, 2021

3.3m people have already made Christmas reservations 1-in-5 UK adults, who celebrate Christmas, have already started planning for Christmas, according to a new consumer poll from research consultancy, KAM. With 7% stating that they’ve already made a reservation for a pub or restaurant for the upcoming festive period and 17% saying they have already invited … Read More

The perception of hospitality as a career choice

August 12, 2021

With staff shortages rife within the hospitality industry, KAM’s new research shows that only 1-in-5 UK adults consider Hospitality to be an appealing industry to work in. Download the full infographic below. This new research aims to measure the perception of Hospitality as a potential career choice for UK adults. It found that 23% still … Read More

Remote working in pubs and restaurants

August 4, 2021

As the government drops the “work from home if you can” guidance, a snap poll from KAM Media found that nearly 1-in-4 ‘hybrid workers’ consider hospitality venues an acceptable place to work remotely. Download the full infographic here. Pubs, restaurants and coffee shops are particularly attractive to younger ‘hybrid workers’. 26% of GenZ and younger … Read More

Decisions, decisions. How we choose which pub or restaurant.

July 22, 2021

In our latest blog, Blake Gladman, Strategy & Insights Director at KAM, shares how consumers make decisions about which pubs and restaurants to visit and what drives their choices… “Halfway through this life I used to feel free. Was it just a dream? Think you’re so carefree, but you’re just seventeen, so much like me. … Read More

Freedom Day – How was it for you?

July 20, 2021

With the coming and going of ‘Freedom Day’ and the majority of restrictions lifted, we wanted to understand how consumers were feeling. KAM has conducted research in partnership with the BBPA, technology provider Zonal and Newtrade Media which helps us to understand current consumer sentiment. You can download the infographic here and access more free whitepapers … Read More

Are the UK public ready to give up face masks?

July 8, 2021

With face masks soon to become a choice rather than a rule, KAM wanted to understand whether Brits are ready to give them up. We conducted research in partnership with Newtrade Media to find out whether UK adults think they will continue to wear face masks after ‘Freedom Day’. You can download the infographic here. … Read More

Are we ready to give up table service?

July 6, 2021

As the end of all restrictions are in sight, KAM asked consumers whether they are ready to wave goodbye to table service and whether they’d missed vertical drinking in venues. You can download the results below… The above infographics are from two pieces of research that KAM carried out in collaboration with Zonal and … Read More

Generation Z are the most easily frustrated customers

June 22, 2021

Gen Z most easily frustrated as customers return to pubs and bars With the hospitality sector finally reopen, new research has identified the top frustrations for customers when visiting a pub or restaurant, with Generation Z being the most easily irritated. Over half of Gen Z-ers (defined here as those aged between 18 and 24 … Read More

4-in-10 Brits say their favourite pubs are still shut

June 22, 2021

New research from BBPA and KAM reveals the devastating impact of restrictions on pubs and pub-goers. 4-in-10 Brits say their favourite pubs are still shut because of COVID. Our research, carried out with BBPA, asked 1,000 UK adults if any of their favourite pubs were still closed, with 40% of respondents (400) saying they were. … Read More

Digitalisation of the customer journey accelerates further

May 11, 2021

Digitalisation of the customer journey is accelerating as the sector gets set for indoor reopening Our brand new report released this week in partnership with Zonal focuses on the post-pandemic customer journey and examines the customer decision process from deciding whether to go out and researching a venue, through to ordering, paying, reviewing and choosing … Read More

Summer of sport offers standout opportunity

May 7, 2021

After the year we’ve just had many operators will no doubt be actively looking for opportunities to drive customers back through their doors. Last summer we had ‘Eat Out To Help Out’ and whether you loved it or hated it, it certainly drove footfall into many venues. This summer, we have sport- and lots of … Read More

Time to embrace multi-channel hospitality

May 2, 2021

While hospitality has been unable to welcome customers to dine in their venues, many have found innovative new ways to take the hospitality experience into their customers’ homes. Even as venues re-open demand from consumers for multi-channel hospitality remains strong. Katy Moses, MD at KAM suggests that from now on hospitality needs to think about … Read More

Reflections on ‘outdoor only’ hospitality

April 26, 2021

Outdoor hospitality has been re-open a matter of weeks in England and has slowly been re-opening across the UK. Katy Moses, managing director of KAM Media, reflects on her experiences visiting hospitality in the first weeks of the re-opening roadmap stressing that right now, every single detail really counts. “Well, it seems hospitality is well … Read More

The rising price of a pint in pubs

April 22, 2021

Pub customers are empathetic but they’re not stupid Blake Gladman, Research & Strategy Director at KAM give his opinion of the recent focus on the rising price of a pint in pubs. You may have seen a recent article from The Daily Mail, published 21st April 2020, that claims breweries are telling struggling pubs to … Read More

Summer of socialising ahead

April 8, 2021

2021 looks set to be a summer of socialising for many UK consumers, if lockdown measures do lift. 36% of UK adults say they plan to have friends and family over to their homes more often than pre-pandemic according to our latest poll. The poll showed that there will be a significant amount of socialising … Read More

Local pubs will win customers back first

March 18, 2021

Our recent consumer poll showed that it will be the independent, local pub sector that will be the first to win back customers when they fully re-open end of May. The research looks at what proportion of customers are likely to return to different hospitality venues in the first three months of full re-opening in … Read More

Return to “outdoor only” hospitality

March 9, 2021

A third will return to “outside only” hospitality 1-in-3 UK adults say they will return to hospitality when it re-opens with outdoor seating and service only, according to a snap poll by KAM Media. The research found that Generation Z and younger Millennials are the least likely to be put off by the prospect of … Read More

The Power of the Pub

March 2, 2021

Before this dreaded pandemic hit, 15 million adults visited at least one of the (then) 47,600 British pubs each week. They may well have visited multiple pubs on multiple occasions that week. But visit, they did. The British pub is a unique institution. Going to the pub has long been one of the most popular … Read More

Opting out of Mother’s Day

February 25, 2021

Consumers want the option to ‘opt out’ this Mother’s Day Nearly 1-in-5 consumers would like the option to ‘opt out’ of Mother’s Day communications from operators and brands, according to our latest consumer poll. We’ve teamed up with Toggle to understand consumer intentions for Mother’s Day 2021. The research showed that despite 71% of UK adults … Read More

Licensees have their say

February 24, 2021

Pub companies get a thumbs up from licensees Licensees across 19 leading pub companies and family brewers have given a thumbs up to the support they have received from their pub companies during the Covid-19 crisis. KAM Media has recently spoken to over 1,330 licensees as part of ‘The Licensee Index’, an annual operator benchmarking … Read More

What’s next for alcohol-free spirits?

February 9, 2021

In celebration of the launch of KAM’s new low and no research report, we’ve spoken to a number of industry experts to gain different perspectives on the Low and No opportunity. In this blog, Laura Stephen, Brand Director at Pernod Ricard UK, shares her thoughts on why Low and No is growing, and why Pernod Ricard … Read More

Hospitality at home

February 8, 2021

Home delivery and ‘hospitality at home’ have been growing significantly over the last 10 months. KAM Media MD, Katy Moses, gives her thoughts on the benefits of getting your hospitality brand into people’s home. Hospitality at home “One of the bonuses of lockdown #27 or whatever we’re on now, is that I decided to treat … Read More

The growth of Low and No beer

February 1, 2021

In celebration of the launch of KAM’s new low and no research report, we’ve spoken to a number of industry experts to gain different perspectives on the Low and No opportunity. In this blog Jez Manterfield, Senior Category Manager, Asahi UK Ltd, shares his thoughts on why Low and No is growing, and why Asahi … Read More

The continued growth of low and no

January 21, 2021

The low and no category has hit the mainstream with consumer awareness of low & no increasing significantly over the last 12 months. Our brand new research, carried out in partnership with Peroni Libera 0.0%, highlights the continued growth of low and no. It found that nearly 1-in-2 consumers have now tried a low or … Read More

The next phase in food delivery

January 21, 2021

Food delivery is fast moving into its next phase. Only 7% of UK consumers were using delivery apps on a weekly basis before this crisis – that figure was around 24% after the first lockdown. Delivery is now providing hospitality with a much-needed source of income. Consumers have been forgiving of the kinks in new … Read More

Consumers make an effort for Valentine’s Day 2021

January 13, 2021

1-in-5 consumers intend to make a bigger effort than normal this Valentine’s Day 2021, especially Generation Z and younger Millennials, according to a new consumer poll. We’ve has teamed up with Toggle to understand consumer intentions for Valentine’s Day 2021. DOWNLOAD FULL INFOGRAPHIC HERE. Yesterday’s consumer poll (13th Jan 2021) found that despite most people … Read More

2.7m give up on Dry January

January 6, 2021

Nearly 1-in-4 of those who attempted Dry January 2021 have already given in to temptation. A snap poll carried out yesterday (5/1/21) by KAM Media found that it’s only 5 days into the new year and around 2.7 million people have already given up and consumed alcohol. 30% of UK adults intended to take part … Read More

What’s next for hospitality?

December 14, 2020

What’s next for hospitality? At the end of a long and devastating year for hospitality in the UK, Katy Moses, MD of KAM Media, looks at what 2021 could possibly hold for the industry- asking “what’s next for hospitality?” (If you don’t get her weekly blogs you can sign up here.) “As we near the … Read More

Generation Z want to get out!

December 13, 2020

Generation Z and hospitality There’s one customer group who have held strong for hospitality throughout the pandemic- almost unshakeable in their support for the industry and their desire to socialise and consume in an environment outside of their own homes. And I’m not talking about the KAM team… Let’s hear it for Generation Z. (To be … Read More

New Year’s Eve 2020 in hospitality

December 10, 2020

Consumers expectations for New Year’s Eve 2020 Take a look below at our latest research showing what consumers would consider purchasing this New Years Eve. We looked at how the status of their local restaurants and pubs is likely to impact their behaviour during New Year’s Eve 2020 in hospitality. You can download the full … Read More

Next step in convenience store home delivery

December 2, 2020

**Guest Blog** – Taking Convenience store home delivery to a new level We’re delighted to have David Rees, convenience industry commentator and former editor of Convenience Store magazine for over 15 years, write a guest blog on what he sees as one of the biggest opportunities to come out of 2020. Often referred to as … Read More

Low and No in Convenience stores

December 2, 2020

Is Low and No really an opportunity in Convenience? In a year where you might assume many will turn to alcohol, the low and no category continues to grow exponentially. Sales of low- and no-alcohol drinks are up 30% year-on-year in the off-trade. According to Nielsen, the category as a whole is now worth £188m … Read More

Christmas 2020 in hospitality

November 13, 2020

Consumers expectations for Christmas 2020 Take a look at our latest research showing what consumers would consider purchasing this Christmas. We looked at how the status of their local restaurants and pubs is likely to impact their behaviour during Christmas 2020 in hospitality? You can download the full infographic here. Or read more about our … Read More

Re-opening hospitality – again

November 11, 2020

Well, who would’ve thought that “Christmas” would become only the THIRD most contentious ‘C-word’ in 2020? But here we are, preparing for re-opening hospitality, again. Here’s the bad news… For the last 18 months of weekly tracking by YouGov, Britain’s mood has primarily been “apathetic”. This all changed in March, when “fear” took over. Last … Read More

Changing beer drinking habits

November 11, 2020

Lockdown is changing the longer-term habits of beer enthusiasts New research shows that beer enthusiasts are more open to trying new and different beers than ever. 91% having tried a beer that they’d never consumed before in the last two months alone. Beer drinking habits are changing. Feedback from 800+ craft & modern beer consumers … Read More

Hospitality customers accept ‘new normal’

November 9, 2020

Lockdown hits just as customers accept hospitality’s ‘new normal’ The latest Customer Sentiment Tracker from Feed It Back and KAM Media found that lockdown is hitting us just as things seemed to be heading towards a “normal” level with regards to hospitality customer sentiment. Based on feedback from 89,825 customers via the Feed It Back … Read More

Diversification in pubs

October 29, 2020

Whether in tier 1, 2 or 3, the immediate future remains uncertain for England’s pubs. New restrictions, including the 10pm curfew and bans on households mixing indoors, provide yet further challenges for pubs. They also exacerbate the traditional challenges that pubs face and have faced for many years; how to drive more (and new) footfall … Read More

Technology in hospitality

October 22, 2020

I have a total of 8 different hospitality apps on my phone. All downloaded and used to varying degrees over the last few months. It therefore came as no great surprise when KAM’s most recent research revealed that more than 1-in-2 customers are now getting a little peeved at having to download a new app … Read More

Technology-led hospitality experience

October 13, 2020

Consumer demand grows for a technology-led hospitality experience Our latest research exposes an accelerated customer demand for a technology-led hospitality experience, with the expectation of a pay-at-table app growing. This comes as Government restrictions introduce mandatory table service for much of hospitality. The research, which forms part of a free white paper, investigates what customers … Read More

Introducing pub desks

October 12, 2020

10am could be the new 10pm in hospitality, with pub desks It won’t have escaped anyone’s attention that the new 10pm curfew has come as another huge blow for the hospitality industry. The government keep commenting of the loss of “an hour” of opening times, but for many operators it’s a lot more than that. … Read More

10pm hospitality curfew

September 23, 2020

UK public are not convinced hospitality curfew will make a difference A snap poll carried out by KAM Media identified that a significant proportion of the English public remain unconvinced that the new 10pm hospitality curfew will deliver on its promise to help curb the spread of Covid-19. 47% think the new 10pm curfew will … Read More

Hospitality and foodservice blogs

Opinion and insight on the latest trends, news and innovations within hospitality and foodservice.

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