From ‘Shall we split it?’ to paying at the table: How Valentine’s Day dining is changing

Latest research from Lloyds Merchant Services reveals the changing ways people settle the bill, and what busy restaurant nights demand behind the scenes

One in five couples now ask to split the bill when dining out, reflecting changing expectations around how people pay when in a relationship. That’s according to the latest research from Lloyds Merchant Services, which highlights important trends that are pertinent to hospitality businesses this Valentine’s Day.

Valentine’s Day remains one of the busiest nights of the year for restaurants, with venues running at capacity and service under pressure from first sitting to last orders. From how quickly customers can pay to whether they split the bill or settle at the table, those final moments of the meal are becoming a bigger part of how smoothly the dining out experience runs.

Around 22 percent of hospitality businesses in the UK say customers are now keen to split the bill, a statistic that rises to 50 percent in cities such as Brighton and Belfast. That’s according to a recent whitepaper from Lloyds, From Till to Table: Smarter Payments Driving Innovation in Hospitality. 

Paying at the table is also increasingly part of how people want to wrap up a meal. Around 22 percent of hospitality businesses say customers ask to settle without leaving their seat – by QR code, card reader or app – rising to 26 percent among restaurants. In cities like Sheffield (57 percent) and Cardiff (43 percent), those numbers are even higher.

Contactless underpins almost all of this, and has become the default for many diners. It’s now the most requested way to pay across UK hospitality, with 77 percent of businesses saying customers ask for it. Demand is high in every setting – pubs and cafés at 81 percent, restaurants at 80 percent – whether people are tapping a card, phone or smartwatch.

These are behaviours many venues now need to accommodate, particularly on high-pressure nights when groups and couples want to settle up with as little fuss as possible.

Ross Taylor, Managing Director, Head of Payment and Liquidity Sales, Lloyds Merchant Services, said: “On Valentine’s Day, couples will want their bill sorted quickly so romantic moments continue without interruption. That mirrors what our research reveals: customers increasingly favour fast, familiar ways to pay. When payment feels effortless and almost invisible, it helps restaurants and hospitality businesses keep the experience smooth from start to finish.”

It’s clear that payments are an existing pain point for customers, with around three in 10 hospitality businesses saying guests occasionally mention delays at the till, while around 15 percent hear complaints regularly. Importantly for hospitality businesses preparing for Valentine’s Day, it is restaurants that are the most exposed, with 14 percent reporting frequent comments, compared with 9 percent of hotels and 5 percent of pubs.

The full report, From Till to Table: Smarter Payments Driving Innovation in Hospitality, is available at: https://www.lloydsbank.com/business/resource-centre/insight/payments-driving-innovation-in-hospitality.html.

Image courtesy of Unsplash. Photo credit: Rinck Content Studio.