Brits are spending more time with their grandparents now than before the pandemic and for over half (55%) this involves treating their grandparents to lunch, according to new research by YO!. This has prompted the Japanese food restaurant to launch a BYOG (Bring Your Own Grandparent) during the Easter holidays – meaning Grans and Grandads can try, and enjoy, Japanese food for free.
The move comes as YO! aims to introduce the older generation to international food, as research found that over half (51%) of over 55s hadn’t ever tried sushi, 75% hadn’t tried Vietnamese before and 19% hadn’t even tried an Indian curry. One in four (24%) over 55s admitted that they hadn’t tried the likes of sushi as they prefer to stick to ‘traditional British fayre’, whilst over a quarter (26%) said they were picky eaters and 5% admit to only eating ‘meat and two veg’.
Vietnamese was the least popular ‘international’ dish for Brits (75%), followed by Malaysian (74%), Jamaican (69%) and Japanese (58%). Those in Northern Ireland are the pickiest eaters in the UK (44%), followed by Yorkshire (41%) and those in the Northeast with over 1 in 3 (34%) admitting to not trying sushi as they’re too picky.
The results have inspired YO! to invite grandparents into its restaurants to expand their taste buds into the world of sushi, katsu, gyoza, edamame and wasabi to find their new favourite dish and become a-fish-onados of Japanese cuisine. Victoria Mathers, UK Head of Marketing at YO! said: “Japanese food isn’t as daunting as it may seem, it’s full of colourful and exciting flavours! We cater for all ages, so Grandparents are very welcome at YO! - we can’t wait to welcome as many as possible to dine for free, up to the value of £15, during the Easter holidays.
“If you’re not sure what to try on your first visit, we suggest the Mixed Maki Plate, Vegetable Gyoza and of course some YO! fries. If you’re feeling brave, you could even give wasabi a go. We look forward to welcoming your Granny and Gramps to our restaurants, and hope they discover something new to tickle their taste buds.”
The move comes as YO! expands its menu this Spring, offering over 100 dishes to customers. A select group of Grandmas and Grandads were chosen to exclusively taste the menu first, resulting in hilarious footage showing them trying key elements of Japanese cuisine for the first time – keep an eye out for the video on YO!’s social media.
The top 10 international cuisines that Brits haven’t tried:
- Vietnamese (75%)
- Malaysian (74%)
- Jamaican (60%)
- Japanese (49%)
- French (35%)
- Thai (33%)
- Mexican (30%)
- Spanish (28%)
- Indian (19%)
- Italian (12%)
