Survey Reveals Half Of Gen Z’s Are Ditching Dining Out This Valentine’s Day

As Valentine's Day (14th February) nears, younger couples are ditching restaurant reservations to spend time at home with their significant other, discovering that love is best cooked up in the kitchen, not ordered from a menu.

Research by food box subscription service, HelloFresh, delving into British dining habits for Valentine's Day, revealed that nearly half of Brits (46%) are opting for homemade meals over expensive restaurant outings.

Interestingly, over half (53.4%) of Gen Z's aged 18-24 plan to celebrate at home due to rising living costs. In comparison, only around one-third (32.4%) of millennials aged 25-34 intend on dining in with a home-cooked meal.

The survey, which polled 1,000 adults across the UK, sheds light on how Brits are choosing to celebrate the most romantic day of the year.

Mirroring the findings of the survey, #valentinesmeal has racked up 2.6M views on TikTok, indicating that Gen Z are keen to impress their loved ones with their cooking skills.

And if you're at a loss for what to do, TikTok has a surprising amount of romantic inspiration, particularly for at-home date ideas. Gaining 90.2M views overall on TikTok, the #rockpaperscissorschallenge is one craze which involves turning a routine supermarket trip into an affordable and entertaining date night.

In this three-course challenge, participants play Rock Paper Scissors to determine the menu. The winner of each round chooses the meal for the respective course.

User @theglobewanderers' video displaying the challenge has captured an impressive 2.5M views, showing how a simple trend can create a fun and exciting date night.

To help those celebrating at home this year, HelloFresh has offered recipes that are perfect for a Valentine’s surprise, including Herb Crusted Salmon Fillet and Cheesy Dauphinoise and Fillet Steak Surf and Turf.