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Half the country (49%) has already swapped a takeaway for restaurant-quality food for two, with 74% of those cutting back citing price increases
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Better value for money (47%) is the biggest reason shoppers would choose a restaurant-quality meal in, over eating out.
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This shift comes as Waitrose launches its No. 1 Takeaway Meal Deal, inspired by the cuisines of India and Southeast Asia - consisting of two mains and two sides.
The restaurant experience is being reclaimed, and it’s happening at the kitchen table. New research from Waitrose reveals that nearly two thirds (62%) of the nation are dining out less often than they were six months ago, as rising prices make restaurant meals harder to justify.
74% of those cutting back cited rising prices as part of the reason with the average restaurant meal now costing diners £15–£25 a head, compared with £10–£15 for a takeaway excluding drinks. But this isn't a nation giving up on great food. Instead, shoppers are looking for restaurant-quality ingredients and meals they can enjoy at home, without the restaurant-sized bill. The result is a new kind of treat: better ingredients, more considered meals and the feeling of dining out, without having to leave the comfort of your own home.
In response to this shift, Waitrose is launching the new No.1 Takeaway Meal Deal. Priced at £18 for two mains and two sides - it eliminates the need for reservations, travel and service charge. Inspired by the cuisines of India and Southeast Asia, the range focuses on premium ingredients, spices, high-quality meat and seafood - proving that sometimes the best table in town is the one you already own.
Lizzie Hayward, Trend Innovation Manager at Waitrose said: "We've seen that customers want restaurant quality without the price tag. Our new range is designed to deliver that exact experience, whether it's a Tuesday night pick-me-up or a weekend celebration. We're seeing the home become a place where people can create their own version of the restaurant experience, eating quality, globally-inspired dishes."
Dining drama: Why we are all suffering from Plate Envy
The home is giving people something a restaurant can't - complete freedom over what goes on the plate. More than half (55%) say they sometimes mix cuisines within the same meal that they wouldn't usually order together in a restaurant. It might be frowned upon to pair a curry with a side of carbonara, but at home, anything goes. Gen Z are leading the charge, with 38% of 18-24 year olds regularly mixing completely different cuisines within the same meal - and one fifth (20%) order multiple takeaways when they can't settle on one cuisine. It's part of a wider cross-cuisine mash-up trend gaining traction on TikTok through hashtags such as #takeawayroulette, highlighting a generation increasingly willing to throw the rulebook out the window when it comes to what belongs on their plate.
On top of this, nearly two-thirds of the nation (63%) admit to "Plate Envy" - the very specific regret of watching someone else's dinner arrive and instantly wishing they'd ordered that instead. There is a clear generational divide with 43% of Gen Z suffering from frequent food envy, compared to just 7% of over-65s - with 18% admitting they never wished they had ordered something else.
Sharing has its limits though, with most people being willing to part with a few bites (28%) and no more. For over a third (34%), repeated plate-raiding is enough to cause negative relationship impacts, including causing arguments (12%) and avoiding eating with that person (13%). Young adults are the most combative with 19% of 18-24 year olds warning it would cause arguments and 6% of all respondents saying plate pinching is a relationship dealbreaker. Even celebrities aren’t immune, actor Simon Pegg recently admitted on Waitrose's own Dish podcast that his family have nicknamed him "the food shark", on account of how quickly he polishes off his own plate before turning his attention to everyone else's.
The New Night Out? Staying In
Ask what would actually tempt people to swap a night out for a night in, and the answer isn't really about the food. Top of the list is simply being able to relax at home (45%), ahead of value for money (34%), avoiding travel (30%) and convenience (28%). For women, that freedom has a distinct edge: a quarter (25%) cite being able to eat in their pyjamas, nearly double the number of men who feel the same (14%).
Of those who have treated themselves to a takeaway in the past six months, four in five (80%) have hit at least one problem, with late deliveries the most common complaint (18%). Just one in five (20%) report getting through the experience issue-free.
What people really care about is the food itself. When asked what makes a meal feel "restaurant-quality", nearly half (47%) say high-quality meat or seafood is the number one thing they look for, premium ingredients (41%) and authentic flavours (40%) follow. Restaurant-style presentation makes all the difference for 31%, suggesting that a night in still needs to look the part too.
Dining at Home: How We’re Changing the Menu
Half the country (49%) has already swapped a takeaway for restaurant-quality food for two, with a further third (32%) saying they're open to trying one. Among Gen Z, that rises to 62% embracing the swap, showing we’re a nation of premium meal deal lovers.
Saturday remains the single most popular night to buy one (31%), but over a third (36%) are just as likely to treat themselves midweek - turning a Tuesday into an occasion that would once have been saved for the weekend. Nearly a quarter (24%) say they now treat themselves at home specifically because eating out has become too expensive.
Italian is the nation's favourite cuisine to enjoy at home (46%), closely followed by Indian and British (44% each) - with Asian and Indian the nation's most popular pairing when combining two cuisines within a single meal. Italian is also the cuisine people are most likely to recreate when attempting a favourite restaurant meal at home (22%), closely followed by Indian (21%).
The future of dining out might not be about bringing the restaurant home; it’s about capturing the essential ingredients of a great meal - the flavour, the quality and the occasion - while leaving the logistical hassle behind.
Alongside the No.1 Takeaway Meal Deal, Waitrose is also launching a new No.1 premium pasta Italian range, bringing the same restaurant-quality approach to the nation's favourite cuisine to cook at home, Italian. It follows a growing run of chef collaborations for Waitrose, including Michelin-starred chef Angela Hartnett's recently launched fresh Italian range, and partnerships with Gymkhana and Yotam Ottolenghi - proof that the appetite for bringing a taste of the country's best restaurants home shows no sign of slowing.
Note to Editors
The survey was conducted in August 2026 via research and insights agency Obsurvant, on behalf of Waitrose, among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 UK adults.
About Waitrose
Waitrose is the Home of Food Lovers, serving customers with exceptional quality products and expert service.
Part of the John Lewis Partnership - the UK’s largest employee-owned business - Waitrose has over 320 shops and a strong online business. It also has agreements with brands like Welcome Break and Shell, further bolstering its local footprint.
It works closely with British farmers and suppliers, and is a market-leader for animal welfare and responsible sourcing - using sustainable farming methods, including on its very own farm, the Leckford Estate.
Waitrose holds a Royal Warrant as Grocer and Wine & Spirits Merchant to His Majesty King Charles III.
