Home deliveries set to boom as customers stay in to watch war

Many British restaurants were this week bracing themselves for a slump in business should war break out in the Middle East, but home-delivery specialists were preparing staff for more work and an increase in takings.

Ian Neill, chief executive of expanding noodle chain Wagamama, said that a war would undoubtedly hit takings but said that not everybody would be affected.

"One of the main effects is that people stay in more, because they are literally watching the war - on television. It keeps people inside - not out of fear, just because they are glued to the screen," he said.

The tendency for more people to stay at home means increased business for home-delivery caterers.

A spokeswoman for Domino's Pizza, which has 270 branches and sells 40,000 pizzas a night, said: "It's a well-known phenomenon to us. During the last Gulf War, and post-September 11, whenever there is a major international or national event, there is this flight-to-home syndrome. At the time of the Gulf War people would spend more time with their families and loved ones, and that had an effect on our sales."

During the Gulf War some restaurants, including the Chez Ge«rard chain, managed to offset the worst effects on business by vigorous marketing, but this time round many were unsure whether customers would stay away.

A spokesman for Six Continents' pubs, bars and restaurants division said it was impossible to forecast: "We don't know if it's going to happen at all, and if it does, we don't know how long it is going to last. And as to whether it will be bad for eating out in Britain, who knows? I think the most you can say for certain is that there will probably be an impact on tourism, and tourists clearly eat out a lot in restaurants."

Source: Caterer and Hotelkeeper magazine, 13-19 February 2003