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Insights

What guests order, and what they argue about

Every number here comes from 1,221 Dream Menu interviews, September 2025 to 19 October 2026. Dish shares use the 1,215 interviews that answered the dish questions.

The big debates

Irn Bru or Coke?

Irn Bru 45.7%Coca Cola 33.5%Neither 20.8%

1,194 answers

Tea or coffee?

Coffee 67.2%Tea 25.8%Neither 6.9%

922 answers

Pineapple on pizza?

Yes 49.3%No 50.7%

1,195 answers

Still, tap or sparkling?

Still 37.2%Tap 30.3%Sparkling 27.8%Scottish tap water 4.8%

1,195 answers

The dream menu, course by course

Share of answers for each course, by dish category. Answers that fit no category are left out of the shares.

Starter · 1,188 answers
  • Seafood33.3%
  • Bread / focaccia / sourdough / toast12.2%
  • Soup6.2%
  • Burrata / cheese bites4.6%
  • Fried chicken / wings / tenders3.3%
  • Asian small plates (rolls, dumplings, dim sum)2.9%
Main · 1,182 answers
  • Steak / beef23.1%
  • Pasta11.7%
  • Curry / Indian7.1%
  • Fish / seafood6.9%
  • Chicken6.3%
  • Sushi / Japanese3.7%
Side · 1,178 answers
  • Chips / fries24.0%
  • Potatoes (non-fries)12.8%
  • Vegetable sides (greens, broccoli, cabbage)6.4%
  • Side salad5.9%
  • Mac & cheese5.8%
  • Bread-based sides (naan, focaccia, bao, sourdough)5.6%
Dessert · 1,176 answers
  • Ice cream / gelato25.3%
  • Tiramisu11.4%
  • Sticky toffee pudding8.3%
  • Cake (general)6.5%
  • Cheesecake5.4%
  • Cheese (as dessert)3.6%
Drink · 1,177 answers
  • Soft drink / diet soda12.5%
  • Margarita9.8%
  • Beer / lager / ale7.7%
  • White/Red/Rose wine7.5%
  • Martini (non-espresso)6.1%
  • Coffee (non-cocktail)5.0%
What it means for your menu. The 2026 report turns these numbers into advice course by course: what to cook, what to drop and where the gaps are. Read what's on the dream menu or open the operator toolkit. Both are for partners and report readers and need the password.

Guilty pleasures

What guests eat when nobody is watching.

  • Pizza (any)165
  • Pasta / noodles (inc. packet)108
  • Toast / sandwich / toastie85
  • Burger53
  • Kebab48
  • Indian takeaway / curry45
  • Chinese takeaway40
  • Cheese (block, baked, camembert)39
  • Sweet & salty snacks (crisps, chocolate, biscuits)35
  • Fried chicken / wings32

Trends to bin

The food trend guests wish would quietly disappear.

  • Dubai chocolate108
  • Matcha105
  • Viral / TikTok-driven food49
  • Disliked ingredients (other)34
  • Small plates / sharing29
  • Hot honey29
  • Pistachio (everything)27
  • Filming food / mukbang / ASMR27
  • Deconstructed / gimmick plating21
  • Protein / macro-labelled food21

Interviews by quarter

The current quarter is still in progress.

2026 Look Ahead · 55 operators

How the trade feels

  1. Trading environment4.9/10
  2. Confidence, next 3 months6.5/10
  3. Confidence, next 12 months6.2/10

Average scores. Partners see the full survey: pressures, actions and what operators want from decision makers.

Words on hospitality

Hospitality is the way you make people feel., Danny Meyer
Hospitality exists when you believe the other person is on your side., Danny Meyer
Service is a monologue. Hospitality is a dialogue., Danny Meyer
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are., Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a star., Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
Good cooking is the foundation of true happiness., Auguste Escoffier