According to data from Lumina Intelligence’s Menu Tracker, the proportion of main dishes on operator menus that are sandwiches has risen across the following four key eating out channels: QSR, Coffee & sandwich shops, Pubs & bars, and Chain restaurants.

Senior Insight Manager at Lumina Intelligence, Katherine Prowse, said, “The rising cost of living will see consumers become more conscious of what they spend their disposable income on.

'Lower-ticket meal solutions and channels are well placed to attract consumers that seek value.

'Sandwiches provide operators within all channels to mitigate this challenge by offering cheaper solutions.”

Channel / % of sandwiches as main dishes in March 2022 / vs Feb 2022
QSR / 1.4% / +0.2ppts
Coffee & sandwich shops 15.7% / +0.6ppts
Pubs & bars / 7.4% / +0.5ppts
Chain restaurants / 1.7% / +0.2ppts

Sandwich prices see modest increase versus overall average price increase

The average price of sandwiches across these channels is:

Channel / Average sandwich price / % change vs Feb 2022
QSR /£5.56 / +5.3%
Coffee & sandwich shops £3.57 / +2.3%
Pubs & bars / £6.68 / -3%
Chain restaurants / £9.06 / +2.1%

On average, main dishes across all channels have risen by +5.8%, indicating that the price of sandwiches has seen a modest increase in comparison, except from within the pub & bar channel where the price has fallen.

Sandwich calorie counts increase by 17%
On average, sandwiches listed on menus in March 2022 contain 580 calories, versus 497 in February.

The average calorie count of a sandwich within the pub and bar channel is much higher (875) versus the other three channels, with coffee and sandwich shops offering sandwiches with a much lower calorie count (412).

(source: https://www.lumina-intelligence.com/, image: pexels)