NEWS FROM WHITBREAD

BRITAIN’S BREAKFAST BLUES: A THIRD OF KIDS SKIP BREAKFAST

NEW RESEARCH REVEALS PARENTS CAN’T FIND THE TIME FOR A FAMILY BREAKFAST

Research released today, xx July 2012, conducted by nationwide restaurant chains Brewers Fayre and Table Table, has revealed that more than a third of children (37%) in the UK are skipping breakfast – most because parents say they simply don’t have the time to give their kids a healthy start to the day. This is despite almost all of the parents polled (98%) stating that they believe breakfast to be the most important meal of the day.

In addition to time pressures, other reasons for children missing breakfast include saying they aren’t hungry and that they are bored with eating the same thing every day. Worryingly two in one hundred under-15s said they skip breakfast in a bid to lose weight and 75% state that they never have fruit in the morning.

Children in Glasgow were reported as being the worst culprits when it comes to skipping breakfast, with 47% of Glaswegian parents saying that their children have nothing to eat in the morning. Other cities that were revealed as ditching breakfast regularly were Newcastle, Nottingham, Birmingham and London; all claiming that time and a lack of variation were the main factors.

More than two thirds of parents surveyed (78%) say they wish they had more time to sit down and enjoy breakfast with their children in the morning. 61% of the children surveyed echoed this, saying they would like to sit down for breakfast with their parents more often, with 5% claiming they have NEVER experienced a family breakfast.

With the summer holidays about to kick off, celebrity foodie and Masterchef winner Liz McClarnon is backing Brewers Fayre and Table Table’s campaign to get kids excited about breakfast again. “I was so surprised to discover that over a third of children in the UK are missing breakfast regularly and even more so that almost one in ten children don’t even think that breakfast is an important meal. The summer holidays are such a great time to start forging good habits with the kids and get them enjoying breakfast again so they will look forward to it, rather than skipping it”.

Brewers Fayre and Table Table Restaurants all across the UK are encouraging children aged between the ages of 8-15 to make up an exclusive, new Kid’s Breakfast Taster Panel over the school summer break, to help test drive the brand new breakfast menu, with guidance from some expert chefs. Thirty children from across the UK will be chosen to join Brewers Fayre and Table Table chefs for a tongue-tingling tasting session, and armed with their taste buds, will be presented with an assortment of breakfast dishes from the new menus to cast their opinion on.

All kids across the UK can enjoy a great start to the day with a free breakfast at Brewers Fayre and Table Table. Kids under the age of 16 can eat free when dining with a parent or guardian and can enjoy any breakfast they please from the variety available including cooked breakfasts, cereals, porridge, fresh fruits, crumpets and much more!

Kids can find out more information and enter to win a place on the ‘Kids Breakfast Taster Panel’ via www.brewersfayre.co.uk/tasterpanelor www.tabletable.co.uk/kidstaster before midnight on Thursday 26^th July 2012. Full terms and conditions apply and are available on the websites.

-ENDS-

For further press information, please contact Julie-Anne Power, Elaine Jones or George Costi on WHR@frankpr.it / 020 7693 6999

Notes to Editors:

Research of 1,002 UK adult parents and 1,002 UK children (aged 8-15) conducted by Censuswide, July 2012.

Additional survey findings include;

• 33% of UK parents wish that their children ate breakfast more often.
• 15% of parents polled stated that they would like their children to eat a healthier breakfast.
• Cereal, toast and fruit were polled as being the favourite breakfasts of UK children.
• 23% of parents wish they could offer their children more variety at breakfast time.
• 59% of UK adults claim that when they do have the chance, they enjoy sitting down with their children to have breakfast.
• When asked about their ideal breakfast companion, UK kids claimed they would most like to share breakfast time with One Direction, followed by David Beckham, Ant & Dec, Rihanna and Wayne Rooney.

About Brewers Fayre

Brewers Fayre is a popular family favourite, serving great value food in a warm and family friendly pub restaurant environment. Brewers Fayre pub restaurants make every guest feel special and are designed to cater for all, from those seeking a quieter meal for two or through to those seeking to dine as larger family group.

Brewers Fayre restaurants offer excellent value – deals including our 2 main meals for £10 offer Monday to Friday before 6.30pm; 15 tasty dishes available which include a wide range of traditional pub classics, such as Hand Battered Fish and Chips, Gammon Steak and Beef and Ale Pie, which are perfect for an everyday treat. Plus you can order 2 desserts for £2!

Brewers Fayre has an extensive and delicious children's menu, featuring main meals from just £3.99 and including dishes such as sausage and mash, tomato pasta and chicken curry. Brewers Fayre offer an excellent Meal Deal option of £4.50 for any kid’s main meal and dessert!

Buffet Place

Join us at our Buffet Place and try our theme night buffets available 7 days a week, including a hearty carvery all day Sunday. All you can eat buffets from £5.99/£6.49 and kids eat for £4.49.

Choose from:

Chinese Night - Mondays from 5pm

Pie Night – Tuesdays from 5pm

Tex Mex Night - Wednesdays from 5pm

Curry Night - Thursdays from 5pm

Chip Shop Night - Fridays from 5pm

Chicken Shack – Saturdays from 5pm. £8.99/£9.99

Sunday Carvery – 12 noon ‘til 8pm. Starter and a main for £8.99/£9.49 or 3 courses for £10.99/£11.49.

Visit www.brewersfayre.co.uk for further details.

About Table Table

Table Table launched in 2008 and now has over 110 restaurants throughout the UK. The menu has been created  to include classic pub dishes, served by friendly and helpful staff at great prices. Our chefs are passionate about food, whether it's the hand-battered fish and chips, the chocolate fudge sensation cake or or the mouth-watering steak and kidney pie with its signature ceramic blackbird, Table Table can guarantee good food and great service.

For children there's a wide choice on the Kid's Menu, with everything from Chicken Goujons and Spaghetti Bolognese to Ice Cream Sundae and Mini Chocolate Challenge. Parents also have good reason to love the Kid's Menu too, because with every adult meal purchased, one kid's meal is just £1 between Monday - Saturday 11:30am - 6:30pm.

Visit www.tabletable.co.uk for further details.

Brewers Fayre and Table Table both support Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity. The charity needs to raise £50 million every year to support the care the hospital provides to some of the UK’s sickest children.