The Great British Christmas 2025 Survey: Why pubs and restaurants are both vital and vulnerable at Christmas

Christmas 2025 reinforced the cultural importance of pubs and restaurants – but also exposed their fragility in an era of financial pressure and emotional fatigue.

Launching today and available for purchase, The Great British Christmas 2025 Survey  - jointly created and curated by Richmond & Towers and Possibility? - shows that while eating out remains a valued part of the festive season, it is also the first category consumers cut when budgets tighten.

Sharing a unique view of Britain at Christmas by blending hard data with human stories, the in-depth 126-page report provides marketers with a forensic view of the nation’s festive season, helping to ensure that Christmas 2026 will be their most successful yet^[1].

Based on research with 2,000 UK adults conducted immediately after Christmas, the study offers a data playground for pub, bar and restaurant marketers planning 2026 – and a warning that traditional festive playbooks are losing relevance for large parts of the population.

“The Great British Christmas 2025 Survey breaks new ground to show how misconceptions about Britain’s Christmas habits may be hindering effective marketing, and even how some campaigns – including those that are often held up as best in class – are missing the target with large numbers of consumers,” explains Matt de Leon, Managing Director at Richmond & Towers.

Eating out: valued, but expendable

When asked what they would reduce first if festive spending needed to fall:

• 29% chose eating out

• Compared with 17% cutting gifts

• And fewer than one in ten cutting travel or decorations

This makes restaurants and pubs uniquely exposed to late-stage belt-tightening.

“Eating out is emotionally rewarding but mentally categorised as optional,” explains Nick Rabin, Managing Director at Possibility?. “That makes it the release valve when pressure builds.”

Who is still spending – and who isn’t

The research reveals sharp segmentation:

• Younger adults and partnered families were most likely to increase spend year-on-year

• Single households and older consumers were significantly more likely to cut back

• Lower social grades showed the highest sensitivity to price and frequency

For operators, this underscores the danger of assuming a universal festive appetite.

Hosting fatigue creates opportunity

While some reduced eating out to save money, others used pubs and restaurants to escape hosting stress.

More than a quarter of respondents cited cooking, cleaning, and managing family expectations as the hardest part of Christmas Day. For these consumers, eating out functioned as relief – but only where:

• Pricing was transparent

• Menus felt manageable

• The experience reduced effort rather than added performance pressure

“People don’t want to ‘host’ in a restaurant,” says de Leon. “They want to rest.”

Advertising and value perception matter more than ever

Restaurants and pubs were largely absent from lists of brands that made Christmas easier, dominated instead by supermarkets and online retailers.

This suggests a missed opportunity: hospitality is emotionally powerful, but often poorly framed in festive communications.

“Christmas promotions that feel like traps or upsells backfire,” adds de Leon. “Value isn’t just about price – it’s about emotional safety.”

What pubs and restaurants should take into 2026

The research points to clear strategic shifts:

• Shorter, clearer festive menus

• Transparent pricing and deposits

• Low-pressure social formats

• Messaging that normalises ‘keeping it simple’

“Pubs in particular can win by positioning themselves as community refuges,” concludes Rabin. “Not everywhere has to feel like a party.”

The Great British Christmas 2025 Survey will be available from 17^th February 2026 for £1,250 + VAT at https://rtc.london/product/the-great-british-christmas-2025-survey/.

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Notes to Editors

Methodology

The Great British Christmas 2025 Survey is based on nationally representative online research conducted among 2,000 UK adults by Censuswide. Fieldwork took place between 27th–31st December, capturing just-lived Christmas experiences and opinions.

About Richmond & Towers

Richmond & Towers is a brand engagement agency, helping businesses drive growth through insight-led PR, social and digital storytelling. With a strong heritage in food, drink, consumer and lifestyle brands, R&T is known for straight-talking strategy, creative thinking and work that delivers real commercial impact.https://rtc.london/

About Possibility?

Possibility? is a behavioural insight consultancy focused on understanding how people really think, feel and behave.https://possibilityconsulting.co.uk/

^[1] Retailer and product categories covered by the report include:

Food & Drink, including supermarkets

Clothing & Fashion

Consumer Electronics

For more information:

Contact The Great British Christmas 2025 Survey press office.

Email – TGBCS2025@rtc.london

Tel – 020 7388 7421

Third-party news items are published as received for informational purposes. Publication does not imply endorsement by the Guild. Please use the contact details within the post for any enquiries.