4th October 2018
Edinburgh has the highest restaurant density in the UK in terms of the number of people per restaurant, according to research from Local Data Company (LDC).
New data showed the Scottish capital has just 1,771 people per restaurant within the city centre. Restaurants make up 12% of all retail and leisure sites in the city compared with a UK average of 5%.
Central London comes in second with 2,033 people per restaurant.
The rest of the top ten in terms of highest restaurant density is made up of Dartmouth (2,117 people), Whitby (2,697), Aberystwyth (2,936), Brighton and Hove (3,110), Aberdeen (3,135), York (3,200), Minehead (3,298) and Keswick (3,648).
The lowest restaurant density as expressed by number of people per restaurant is Belsize Park in north London. The reason for this is Belsize Park itself only has one restaurant – The Curry Manjil – despite being in a densely populated area. LDC explained this saying residents tend to visit neighbouring districts such as Camden for a meal out so there might be limited potential for leisure operators in that region.
The rest of the top ten is Atherton (3,023,756), Bilston (2,594,685), Cradley Heath (2,509,560), Sedgley (2,218,376), Birstall Smithies (2,028,620), Westbourne Green (1,868,720), Haslingden (1,820,148), Walton Vale (1,815,931) and Leyland South (1,678,874).
LDC marketing manager Sarah Phillips said: “The main thing that strikes us about this data is the huge geographical reach of these restaurants. Unsurprisingly, the tourist hot spots are those that have a vast oversupply of restaurants. However, due to the vast number of visitors this country attracts each year, these locations can support much higher numbers of restaurants than the more residential areas. With a few national chains starting to struggle, we may be reaching saturation point for restaurants across Britain. It will become increasingly key for occupiers in this space to ensure portfolios are continually optimised, data is driving decision-making and, most importantly of all as everyone is a critic, customers continue to be delighted.”