Report: Nigerians Favor Beef, Spend N4,700 on Restaurant Meals

Nigerians are currently allocating an average of N4,703 per restaurant meal, favoring beef over turkey and goat meat in Lagos, as revealed by the ‘Orda Pulse 2023: Food Trend Tracker’ report from Orda Africa, a Nigerian food tech startup.

Orda Africa, specializing in providing cloud-based operating systems to small and medium-sized restaurants in Nigeria and Kenya, explores the evolving dining habits in Lagos. The report indicates a slight increase in the average spending per meal from N4,640 in 2022 to N4,703, reflecting shifting culinary preferences.

Surprisingly, despite currency depreciation and inflation, the cost of a meal for Orda-affiliated restaurants experienced only a minimal 1.36% rise from October 2022 to October 2023.

Delving into the data, Jollof rice leads as the most-ordered menu item (5.3 million orders), followed by beef (4.47 million orders) and plantain (3.6 million). Turkey records 1.88 million orders, while goat meat follows with 1.48 million orders.

Peak ordering times indicate a surge starting at noon, peaking at 7 PM. Although delivery orders are in the minority, there’s a noticeable uptick during lunch hours (around 1:00 PM) and in the evening, highlighting key times for delivery services.

Regarding payments, digital transactions (transfers, USSD, and cards) dominate at 65%, with cash transactions comprising the remaining 35%. Dine-in and takeaway experiences contribute to over 90% of restaurant sales, emphasizing Nigerians’ preference for enjoying meals within the restaurant setting.

These culinary trends align with reports indicating that Nigerians allocate around 60% of their income to food, driven by inflation and modest wages.

Notably, food remains a significant driver of inflation, with a year-on-year food inflation increase of 1.52%, marking a 7.80% point rise from October 2022 (23.72%). This surge is attributed to various categories, including Bread and cereals, Oil and fat, Potatoes, Yam and other Tubers, Fish, Fruit, Meat, Vegetables, Milk, Cheese, and Eggs.

Rice continues to be a crucial part of the menu, with Nigeria projected to import 2.1 million metric tons in 2024, potentially becoming the world’s top rice buyer, according to the latest Rice Outlook report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Global rice trade is expected to reach 52.85 million tons by 2024, with increased exports from Brazil and South Korea and more imports from Burkina Faso, Indonesia, and Nigeria, highlighting the enduring significance of rice in the culinary landscape.