Why do restaurants and takeaways close so early now?

Yes I’ve noticed it here as well up north!

Almost every restaurant seems to be signed up with one of the delivery services, takeaways are not restricted to just bottom of the market outlets.

Plevey08

All I ever see is home deliveries morning, noon and night! Clearly cos they're cheaper. Though I used to love going out for a meal. I have Coeliac Disease now and hardly anyone caters for them. Bit worrying all these home deliveries as younger people rarely cook.

Being able to cook and ordering take aways go hand in hand today.
My youngest grandchildren ( 16/19) are both accomplished cooks as they were taught pre school how to cook.
But at the same time they think nothing of ordering a Big Mac to take away if they feel like one.
Times changed some time ago.

Lucky you dont live in France. We are on holiday and you can eat a meal in a restaurant between 12 and 2 or 7 to 9. Everything closed after that!

I think it must very much depend on where you live Plevey08. Here nearly all deliveries must be by a person in an unmarked car... I hardly ever see a delivery bike.

Years ago there were lots of Domino's Pizza bikes.

All I ever see is home deliveries morning, noon and night! Clearly cos they're cheaper. Though I used to love going out for a meal. I have Coeliac Disease now and hardly anyone caters for them. Bit worrying all these home deliveries as younger people rarely cook.

The majority of local restaurants here are closed on Sunday other than pubs offering lunches. On Sunday night it's virtually impossible to eat out. Most are closed all day on Monday, though our favourite does open in the evening. Some are closed on extra days through the summer holiday period whilst others shut for at least two weeks for an annual holiday. Most shut for the whole of Christmas/New Year.
Maybe part of the drop in demand it due to the many excellent "ready to cook" or ready meals available now? There is a branch of Cook not far away and many garden centres and farm shops offers ready meals too.
But mostly I suspect that eating out is much more expensive than it used to be and people go out less, it's more of a special occasion thing for many families now.

Coffee shops closing before 4 drives me nuts! I often want to take my small grandchildren for an after school snack/treat but lots of places are shut by 3.30! And we live in a seaside touristy town! There are a couple of late takeaways but the ones I tend to prefer are finished by about 10 that said I rarely get takeaways and prefer my own cooking. I went to a Toby Carvery last week with my youngest daughter and her 3 boys for a birthday meal and did eat early (the youngest is 7 and it was a school night) but was amazed to hear one of the staff telling another customer that everybody is out by 9.30

My son took us out to a restaurant in a pub last night (more restaurant than pub) and it was packed at 6.30 when we arrived. When we left an hour and a half later it was almost empty. Our favourite local restaurant is also busy earlier than they used to be, though they do still have a few later customers. I think that perhaps people are simply choosing to go out and get home earlier?
There aren't many take-aways left in our immediate area (Greater London) as people seem to use Deliveroo and Uber-eats instead.
I've also noticed that many coffeeshops seem to close earlier, I used to sometimes take my grandchildren to one after school, but most are closed before 4. Greggs is still open, but not as busy as it used to be.

WithNobsOnIt- with the rising cost of food these days the 'young ones' (a lot are students i assume) have realised that it works out cheaper to order takeaways/delivered take outs- my son at uni does that mostly and makes a bucket of KFC last a couple of days, the only thing he cooks really is buffalo chicken wing and the occasional steak as a treat when he gets his grant every term.&the usual student staple of pasta to keep him going. When he got home here in holidays he went to local butchers.

WithNobsOnIt

Slimswim

Perhaps it’s because there are companies like Deliveroo who deliver to your home now. We’ve never used them as we still use takeaways but I know the younger generation seem to use them.

I agree.
Do the the majority of the younger generation actually cook anything?
Also the price of delivered food seems very expensive to me.

They are always complaining about living costs. How do they afford it?

Where l.live .There seems to be tons of these Deliveroos especially from tea time until later at night.

They all cycle on the pavements by the way. Instead of the cycle lanes which the Blessed Andy Burnham had built at the cost of millions of pounds.

Our local takeaways are very expensive even for simple meals.
Even a carton of chips can set you back about £3.50.

my kids in their 20s who have their own places, cook their own dinners. I get no end of photographs...also a modern phenomena

some of the takeaways here close in the early hours of the morning

Yes Cardomom, i remember about 20 years ago or so, when we'd meet friends at a social club near her for drinks till about 11.30pm or after then we would always nip round to the chippy nearby it to get fish suppers before walking down to her house.Also,the buses used to run much later even about 10 years ago- i used to go out with another friend who would go catch the 'late bus' home at 11.30pm. Now they dont seem to run that late.

jakuss

Sure have, everyone staying in their own little pods, they dont socialise, there lives revolve around their phones, social media etc, no wonder theres so much mental health, no one knows how to have fun

We have lots of fun, really enjoy having close friends over to dinner. Have never enjoyed pubs/takeaways very much.

On a recent visit home to U.K we were unable to get food in a pub after 7.30p.m which seemed crazy. The chippy was the only alternative.

My gym and pool has started closing at 9pm instead of 10.
Maybe it's everything!

The market has been evolving with the introduction, and now swamping, of streaming services. People remain at home to watch what they want on their own large screen TVs or laptops. Cinemas have been closing for years, many restaurants and pubs folded after lockdown. Where I live there's no food available after 9.00 pm and even the fish and chip sellers encourage you to ring in your order so they can plan and not have food going to waste, However, people are relatively healthy around here - not seen a Deliveroo rider since moving out of London!

Our chippy shuts at 7pm but it totally gone crap. I am sure it’s not cod they are selling.

Sure have, everyone staying in their own little pods, they dont socialise, there lives revolve around their phones, social media etc, no wonder theres so much mental health, no one knows how to have fun

We have several coffee shops but they all close at 3pm!

TillyTrotter

There are 24 hour KFC’s & McDonalds on the outskirts of our town but not in residential areas, on retail parks.
They are no use to people who walk home from the pub but plenty who drive around in cars use them.

People move next to a residential area chippy etc and then complain about late hours, noise and smell, and councils uphold

I have 2 pub/restaurants near me, one with accommodation, but neither are in walking distance for most patrons. Taking Little Dog out, I’m surprised to see the carparks at both almost empty by 8.15 to 8.30pm. The only exception was a quiz night at one of them.
Now, Sunday lunch time is a different story - both are heaving.

Went to a pub with a friend a few years ago - middle of winter, snow on the ground and after we’d eaten, we were asked to leave, as the manager said it wasn’t worth keeping the place open just for us. We were left standing outside waiting half an hour for my DH to pick us up!

The restaurants I go to in the Algarve don’t open until 7pm. Then they stay open until about 11pm. Depends when people have finished eating. It’s not unusual for large groups to come in after 9pm. It’s probably different on the coast of course.
Lunchtimes are from 12 ish to 3pm.

Lack of business. People fancy cooking for themselves.

Pubs are vinishing, people have changed.

Slimswim

Perhaps it’s because there are companies like Deliveroo who deliver to your home now. We’ve never used them as we still use takeaways but I know the younger generation seem to use them.

I agree.
Do the the majority of the younger generation actually cook anything?
Also the price of delivered food seems very expensive to me.

They are always complaining about living costs. How do they afford it?

Where l.live .There seems to be tons of these Deliveroos especially from tea time until later at night.

They all cycle on the pavements by the way. Instead of the cycle lanes which the Blessed Andy Burnham had built at the cost of millions of pounds.

Our local takeaways are very expensive even for simple meals.
Even a carton of chips can set you back about £3.50.