Despite economic uncertainty, the UK’s multi-site restaurant scene is still hungry for growth. But a new industry report from Crunchtime and Technomic suggests there’s a critical catch—many operators might not be as ready as they think.
In partnership with Technomic, Crunchtime surveyed 100 UK-based multi-site restaurant operators to get a pulse on what's working, what’s not, and what’s actually moving the needle on growth. The result is a brand new report packed with straight-from-the-source insights that can help you benchmark your strategy and uncover smarter ways to scale, whether you’re opening five new locations or fifty.
A sneak peek at what’s inside the report:
UK vs. US: How the findings compare
In addition to the UK Restaurant Growth Insights Report 2025, we also recently released the 2025 Restaurant Growth Insights Report based on a nationwide survey of 300+ US-based multi-site restaurant operators. While some of the findings were similar, there were some key differences across the pond.
UK vs. US Comparisons
|
Economic Uncertainty |
UK |
US |
|
Concerned or very concerned about economic uncertainty |
78% |
73% |
|
Economic uncertainty has made them more cautious about expanding |
74% |
67% |
|
If faced with economic uncertainty, ⅓ would |
Slow or delay site growth plans |
Increase menu prices |
|
Tech Vendors |
UK |
US |
|
Tech stack is optimised to support their growth |
54% |
48% |
|
Experienced challenges with their tech vendors as they grew over the last two years |
90% |
79% |
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|
Importance of real-time visibility |
UK |
US |
|
Real-time visibility into forecasted vs. actual labour needs is extremely or somewhat important |
87% |
80% |
|
Real-time visibility into daily operational task completion is extremely or somewhat important |
89% |
80% |
|
Real-time visibility into waste and variance monitoring is extremely or somewhat important |
88% |
81% |
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|
Forecasting approach |
UK |
US |
|
Use some form of tech-based forecasting tools |
82% |
72% |
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|
Impact of Efficiency |
UK |
US |
|
Consistently executing tasks more efficiently would directly enhance staff productivity and increase sales margins |
46% |
42% |
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|
Labour Management |
UK |
US |
|
Confident or extremely confident in the overall effectiveness of their labour and scheduling strategy |
80% |
73% |
|
Confident or extremely confident in management’s ability to create efficient schedules without over-/understaffing |
70% |
75% |
|
Plan to or have invested in labour management/employee scheduling to achieve growth goals |
64% |
50% |
|
Attracting and retaining qualified staff to support expansion is challenging during growth |
23% |
37% |
|
Forecasting and demand planning for new locations is challenging during growth |
27% |
21% |
|
Difficulty hiring qualified management staff is an issue in low-performing stores |
32% |
21% |
For any data not included in the comparison charts, the difference is less than 4 percentage points. Click here for the full US report.
UK Restaurant Growth Insights Report 2025
If you're in the thick of scaling your restaurant business, the findings from this first-of-its-kind UK study may hit close to home. It’s not just data, it’s a mirror into how your peers are adapting, and a roadmap for making smarter decisions as you grow. Whether you’re running a pub group, a fast-casual chain, or a family-style brand, these insights will help you rethink how you scale.
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