DIAGEO UNVEILS £MULTI-MILLION CASUAL EATING OPPORTUNITY FOR SPIRITS 

Diageo, the global leader in beverage alcohol, has identified a £100 million untapped spirits opportunity for the on-trade in the casual eating occasion.

The UK is rapidly moving towards a more casual eating culture, with the nation’s increasingly fluid lifestyles having a significant impact on consumers’ eating and drinking out habits. As a result, casual meals are in growth and the Casual Dining segment is currently experiencing strong growth of 6.8%[1] driven by consumer demand for affordability, flexibility and informality, as well as a quality dining experience.

Within the casual eating occasion, Spirits are the fastest growing alcohol category, growing at 17% YOY[2], with almost 50% of consumers citing alcohol as an important factor when choosing where to eat out[3]. However, through a bespoke piece of market research, Diageo has identified an additional £100 million RSV opportunity which operators can unlock by expanding their drinks repertoire beyond traditional beer and wine, and maximising the full potential of spirits.

Ronak Mashru, Sales Director at Diageo GB, says: “A trend towards a more casual culture of eating out is emerging and through our research we strongly believe that spirits present a huge growth opportunity in the casual eating occasion. We encourage operators to think about how they maximise this opportunity by inspiring consumers to choose spirits, educating their staff to upsell, and supporting them to achieve consistent quality through the perfect serve.”

To help operators grow their business through spirits, Diageo has invested in and expanded its sales team in a bid to reach more customers outside the traditional on-trade and has launched a range of cuisine-led serves to help outlets upsell spirits and inspire consumers to choose spirits when eating out.

To arrange a booking with the Diageo sales team or for more information on the new cuisine-led serves please email: CasualDiningGB@diageo.com

Diageo’s NEW Cuisine-Led Serves: 

AMERICAN: 

Bulleit Peanut Butter Cup Hard Shake 

Ingredients

50ml Bulleit® Bourbon

1 spoon peanut butter

25ml caramel syrup

100ml single cream

Crushed peanuts 

Recipe

Add the bourbon, peanut butter, caramel syrup and cream to a blender with a small scoop of ice

Blend to a smooth consistency

Pour into a milkshake glass

Garnish with crushed peanuts 

2.2 UK units

 

Mint Julep 

Ingredients

50ml Bulleit® Bourbon

15ml Sugar syrup

8-10 mint leaves

Sprig of mint 

Recipe

Add the bourbon, sugar syrup and mint leaves to a metal julep cup

Add a scoop of crushed ice

Mix through with a bar spoon

Cap with more crushed ice

Garnish with a sprig of mint 

2.2 UK units 

For more information, please contact the Diageo team at Clarion Communications on diageo@clarioncomms.co.uk 

For more information on the Spirit Revolution website, visit www.spirits-revolution.com 

About Diageo

Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands including Johnnie Walker, Crown Royal, JεB, Buchanan’s and Windsor whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and Guinness.

Diageo is listed on both the London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO) and our products are sold in more than 180 countries around the world. For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo’s global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information, initiatives, and ways to share best practice.

Celebrating life, every day, everywhere.

[1] MC Allegra Eating Out Report 2015

[2] CGA Strategy Brand Index data to P01 23.01.2016

[3] CGA Peach Brandtrack, February 2015