Motorists opt to eat on the move

Many motorists in Britain prefer to eat in their cars rather than stopping at roadside or fast food restaurants, according to a survey released last week.

The first survey of motorists' eating habits, Food on the move, commissioned by Shell UK, found that a third of the 1,036 people asked ate in their cars more often than at roadside outlets.

A further 25% said they ate equally often in both places. However, 43% said they never ate in their vehicles.

Burgers were the most popular choice of in-car snack for 67% of the respondents, suggesting that take-aways are the most popular option. Chips were bought by 56% and sandwiches by 55%.

Shell UK runs the Select snack shop chain, which was introduced at its service stations two years ago, and now has 570 outlets.

The company plans to have 650 by the end of the year, and 900 by the end of 1995. The average shop makes about £8,000 a week from food and drink sales, a figure which has doubled over the past year, according to a Shell spokeswoman.

The company estimates that service station food and drink sales account for about a fifth of the £2.3b national roadside market.