How Has WFH Culture Changed Dining Out?

The pandemic has had a huge impact on office culture, with hybrid working now the norm for many UK companies. Pre-Covid back in 2019, just 4.7 percent of employees worked from home. In 2024, meanwhile, 26 percent of the UK do hybrid working, which includes part of the week in the office, and part of the time at home. And it turns out this shift has had a knock-on effect on how we eat out, according to the boss of a major pizza chain.

Hybrid Working Has Changed Eating Out, Says Pizza Boss

Thom Elliot, the co-founder of Pizza Pilgrims, says hybrid working has triggered a shift in dining out behaviour. More people are now shaking off the Sunday scaries with foodie get-togethers, according to Elliot, and Thursdays have become a popular going out night. Fridays, however, have become ‘tougher’ for hospitality firms.

‘I think the “treat meal” in the week still exists,’ Elliot told the PA news agency. ‘We’ve definitely seen a change in the make-up of that week – Thursdays are now commonly accepted as the new Fridays.’

He added that Sundays are bigger now than they were pre-Covid, which he put down to ‘the mindset of: “I don’t have to go to the office on Monday morning, so if I’m a little bit slower out of the gates, that’s probably okay”.’

Sunday roast at Ham Yard Hotel

Overall, though, Elliot’s outlook was positive. The number of visitors dining out has broadly returned to pre-Covid levels, he said, and hotspots like the West End in London are ‘back and busier than ever’.

Elliot has good insight: Pizza Pilgrims is one of the UK’s most popular pizza groups. He founded the concept in 2011 along with his brother James, beginning as a pizza van in Shepherd’s Bush. Today, there are around 25 branches dotted around the country in cities including London, Cardiff and Brighton.