‘A younger crowd’: the rise of Britain’s early-bird restaurant dining

Cost of living and flexible working contribute to growing trend for 5pm table bookings

Previously sitting down for dinner at 5pm usually meant one of three things. You were going to the theatre. You had a toddler. You were of an age where you had a free bus pass. But now we are becoming a nation of early birds; 5pm is the new 8pm and restaurants are adapting accordingly. Special early-evening menus are on the rise.

At Skye Gyngell’s Spring restaurant in Covent Garden, a £30 “scratch” menu – featuring dishes made using waste produce such as a moreish bread-and-butter pudding made from yesterday’s loaves – is served between 5.30pm and 6.15pm.