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Unlock This CourseFood and drink is a massive part of tourism. Think about it whenever you go on holiday, visit a theme park, or explore a new city, eating and drinking is always part of the experience. In fact, for many tourists, trying local food is the attraction! The travel and tourism industry depends heavily on food and drink providers to keep visitors happy, fed and coming back for more.
Food and drink providers are businesses or organisations that supply meals, snacks and beverages to customers including tourists. They range from a tiny beach-side café to a five-star hotel restaurant. Understanding the different types helps us see how tourism works as a whole industry.
Key Definitions:
These providers exist to make money. They charge customers for food and drink and aim to make a profit. Examples include restaurants, fast food chains, hotel restaurants, pubs and coffee shops. Most food providers tourists encounter are commercial.
These providers offer food and drink but profit isn't the main goal. They often serve a captive audience people who have to eat there, like workers or patients. Tourists are less likely to use these, but they still exist in tourism settings like visitor centre cafeterias.
Now let's break down each type of food and drink provider in detail. Each one has different features, target customers, price ranges and links to tourism.
Restaurants are probably the most well-known type of food provider. They offer a full menu, usually with table service and cater for a wide range of customers. Restaurants can be fine dining (very expensive, formal), mid-range (everyday dining), or budget (cheap and cheerful). They are a key part of the tourism experience tourists often choose destinations based on the restaurant scene!
Expensive, formal restaurants with high-quality food and service. Examples: The Ritz in London, Gordon Ramsay restaurants. Often linked to luxury tourism.
Everyday restaurants for families and tourists. Examples: Harvester, Nando's, Wagamama. Popular with domestic tourists and families.
Cheap, cheerful and quick. Examples: Wetherspoons, local curry houses, greasy spoon cafés. Popular with backpackers and budget tourists.
Nando's is a South African-Portuguese restaurant chain famous for its peri-peri chicken. It has over 1,000 restaurants in the UK alone. Nando's uses a counter service model you order at the counter, get a table number and food is brought to you. It's affordable, family-friendly and hugely popular with tourists visiting UK cities. It's a great example of a commercial, mid-range restaurant that serves both locals and tourists.
Fast food is all about speed, low prices and convenience. These outlets use counter service or drive-throughs and the menu is usually standardised meaning the same food wherever you go in the world. This is actually a big draw for some tourists who want something familiar when abroad!
Fast food outlets are especially important in transport hubs like airports, train stations and motorway service areas, where tourists need quick, easy meals on the go.
Cafés are relaxed, informal places that serve hot drinks, snacks, light meals and cakes. They're a huge part of British tourism culture think of a traditional tearoom in the Cotswolds or a trendy coffee shop in Shoreditch, London. Coffee shop chains have exploded in popularity over the last 20 years.
Large commercial chains found in most UK high streets, airports and tourist areas. They offer consistency and familiarity.
Unique, locally-owned cafés that offer a more authentic experience. Often found in tourist villages, heritage sites and seaside towns.
Bettys is a legendary tearoom chain based in Yorkshire, with locations in Harrogate, York and Ilkley. Founded in 1919, it's famous for its Fat Rascal scones, Yorkshire Tea and beautiful Edwardian interiors. Bettys is a visitor attraction in its own right tourists travel specifically to visit it! This shows how a food and drink provider can become a tourist attraction. It's a brilliant example of how independent, heritage catering adds to a destination's appeal.
The British pub is iconic! Pubs (public houses) serve alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and most now serve food too. They're a key part of UK tourism culture and are often listed in tourist guides as "must visit" spots. Bars tend to be more modern and urban, focusing more on drinks than food.
💡 Did you know? There are around 47,000 pubs in the UK. Many tourists from overseas visit specifically to experience a "proper British pub"!
Hotels often have their own restaurants, bars and room service options. These are primarily for hotel guests (a captive market) but many hotel restaurants are open to non-guests too. Hotel food ranges from a simple continental breakfast buffet to a full fine-dining experience.
Tenerife is one of the UK's most popular holiday destinations. Many resorts there operate on an all-inclusive basis, meaning tourists pay one price upfront and all meals, snacks and drinks are included. This is hugely popular with British families as it removes the worry of extra costs. However, it can be bad for local restaurants, as tourists rarely leave the resort to eat out. This shows how hotel food provision can impact the local economy an important tourism issue!
Many visitor attractions like theme parks, museums, zoos and heritage sites have their own food and drink facilities. This is a major source of income for attractions and keeps visitors on-site longer. The quality and variety of food at attractions has improved massively in recent years.
Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Legoland all have multiple food outlets from fast food to sit-down restaurants. Food is a big revenue stream for theme parks.
The British Museum, Natural History Museum and Tate Modern all have cafés and restaurants. Many are run by external catering companies under contract.
National Trust properties often have tea rooms and cafés. These are carefully designed to match the character of the site think scones at a country house!
Takeaways are a huge part of British food culture and tourism. From the classic fish and chip shop to modern street food markets, takeaway food is quick, affordable and often reflects local culture. Street food has had a massive boom in the UK over the last decade.
Borough Market in Southwark, London, is one of the UK's most famous food markets. It has been trading for over 1,000 years and is now a major tourist attraction, drawing over 6 million visitors a year. It offers street food, artisan produce and international cuisine from dozens of traders. It's a brilliant example of how food provision can become a visitor attraction in its own right. It also supports local and independent food producers a great example of sustainable tourism.
It's important to be able to compare different types of providers. The table below summarises the key differences:
| Provider Type | Service Style | Price Range | Tourist Appeal |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⭐ Fine Dining Restaurant | Table service | ££££ | Luxury tourists |
| 🍔 Fast Food Outlet | Counter service | £ | Budget tourists, families |
| ☕ CafĂ© / Coffee Shop | Counter service | ££ | All tourist types |
| 🍻 Pub / Bar | Counter / table | ££ | Cultural tourists, groups |
| 🏢 Hotel Restaurant | Table service / buffet | £££ | Hotel guests |
| 📦 Takeaway / Street Food | Self-service | £ | All tourist types |
Food tourism (also called culinary tourism or gastronomic tourism) is when people travel specifically to experience local food and drink. This is a growing trend worldwide. Destinations now actively promote their food scenes to attract visitors.
The Scotch Whisky Experience on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh is a brilliant example of a food and drink provider that is also a visitor attraction. Tourists pay to take guided tours, learn about whisky production and taste different varieties. It receives over 300,000 visitors a year and is one of Edinburgh's top-rated attractions. It perfectly shows how food and drink can be the main reason someone visits a destination.