Report Reveals: Nigerians Opt for Beef, Spending N4,700 on Restaurant Meals, Preferring it Over Turkey and Goat Meat

 Nigerians are currently allocating an average of N4,703 per meal at dining establishments, favoring beef over turkey and goat meat in Lagos, as revealed by the 2023 survey conducted by Orda Africa, a Nigerian food tech startup, through their 'Orda Pulse 2023: Food Trend Tracker' report.

Orda Africa, specializing in offering cloud-based operating systems to small and medium-sized restaurants in Nigeria and Kenya, has illuminated the shifting culinary patterns in Lagos through their insightful report.

The research indicates a subtle increase in average spending per meal in Lagos, rising from N4,640 in 2022 to N4,703, depicting nuanced shifts in gastronomic preferences. Notably, despite currency devaluation and escalating inflation, the cost of meals for Orda-affiliated restaurants experienced a minimal uptick, with only a 1.36% increase from October 2022 to October 2023.

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

Concerning peak ordering times, Nigerians tend to place food orders from restaurants starting at noon, reaching a zenith at 7 PM. Although delivery orders constitute a minority, a noticeable surge occurs during lunch hours (around 1:00 PM) and in the evening, indicating pivotal periods for delivery services.

In the payment domain, digital transactions, encompassing transfers, USSD, and cards, dominate with a 65% share, while cash transactions constitute the remaining 35%. Dine-in and takeaway experiences overwhelmingly dominate, contributing to over 90% of restaurant sales, underscoring Nigerians' strong inclination to savor meals within the restaurant ambiance.

This culinary landscape unveils the reality that Nigerians are allocating approximately 60% of their income to food, primarily due to inflationary pressures and modest incomes. Nairametrics reported this year that food stands as a significant driver of inflation, with a year-on-year increase of 1.52%, representing a substantial 7.80% surge from October 2022 (23.72%). The spike in food inflation is attributed to escalations in 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 pivotal element on the menu, with Nigeria anticipated to import 2.1 million metric tons of rice in 2024, potentially positioning the country as the leading global rice buyer, according to the latest Rice Outlook report by the Economic Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Global rice trade is projected to reach about 52.85 million tons by 2024, featuring heightened exports from Brazil and South Korea and increased imports from Burkina Faso, Indonesia, and Nigeria. The enduring presence of rice on the menu remains unsurprising given its status as a dietary staple.