With the help of industry experts, we reveal how bar snacks are evolving from a simple side offering into a major revenue driver and a key part of the customer experience.

Bar snacks have long been considered a secondary concern in the hospitality sector – small bites that accompany drinks, often overlooked and underutilised. Today, however, the landscape is shifting. Snacks are no longer just an afterthought; they are becoming a crucial element of the overall customer experience and a significant revenue driver for pubs and bars. From premium nuts and gourmet crisps to elevated small plates, sharing boards, and locally sourced snacks, operators are rethinking how food can complement drinks, increase dwell time, and boost spend per head.

As consumers seek more memorable, quality-led experiences, bar snacks present a major opportunity for venues to differentiate themselves, encourage incremental sales, and respond to growing demands for premiumisation, convenience, and variety. Insights from leading foodservice operators, snack suppliers, and renowned bars reveal a clear picture of the evolving bar snack market and the strategies operators are adopting to maximise its potential.

“Snacks are a brilliant opportunity to create an elevated value-led experience in pubs; however, consumers are looking for more than the traditional snack menu,” explains Imogen Hassard, Customer Marketing Manager for Pubs at Bidfood. Operators are discovering that food, when paired strategically with drinks, can transform the casual bar visit into a more immersive experience. Today’s consumers are savvy; they want choice and variety but still welcome guidance when it comes to food and drink pairings. “Bundle snacks with drinks deals to double your margin and, even better, upsell with cocktails,” Imogen advises.

Visual appeal plays a key role in elevating the snack offering. “We eat and drink with our eyes, and one of the most common mistakes in bars is poor visibility of your offering. Customers who snack stay in bars 16 minutes longer and consume an average of 1.4 additional drinks when they have food to enjoy,” she notes. For bar operators, this is a clear incentive to invest in eye-catching presentation — whether that’s colourful platters, attractive packaging or strategically positioned displays.

Premiumisation is reshaping menus globally. Global flavours are gaining traction, with Korean, Malaysian, and South American cuisines leading the way. Korean cuisine, in particular, offers a breadth of sharable dishes that translate perfectly to the bar setting. Imogen points to options such as bulgogi — tender grilled meat flavoured with soy and garlic — or Jeon, savoury pancakes served with dipping sauces. “It’s an opportunity too good to resist, especially as 43% of consumers are willing to pay more to try Korean,” she highlights.

Similarly, there is growing consumer demand for satisfying, nutrient-dense options. Functional nuts, high-protein and fibre snacks, and innovative meat products are complementing the traditional offerings. “Consider moving beyond typical ‘grab and go’ options and include sharing boards and small plates on your menu. These formats encourage social and experience-led visits, as well as group occasions and longer dwell times in your venue,” Imogen recommends.

Hyacinthe Lescoët, Co-founder of The Cambridge Public House and Co-owner of Little Red Door in Paris, notes that elevated bar snacks can represent a significant revenue stream. “Right now, it’s exactly where we want to be at around 17% of our sales,” he says, highlighting the potential for premium snacks to contribute meaningfully to overall turnover. For high-end cocktail bars, consumers expect snacks to be “just as creative and delicious as your drink offer.” Hyacinthe emphasises the importance of a signature “star” item, citing The Cambridge’s sausage roll as a hit that drives both sales and social sharing.

Laurie Howells, Head Bartender at Archive & Myth in London, agrees. “Guests expect more than just crisps and nuts now. Bar snacks are meant to feel considered, good quality, well-seasoned, and designed to work with the drinks,” she says. Sharing plates and small-format foods, she adds, “turn a drink into a longer moment. Guests settle in, order another round, maybe even a second dish because they’re grazing rather than just snacking. That extra time in the venue is where spend builds.”

The rise of sharing plates and smaller-format foods reflects changing consumer behaviour. Leigh Baker, Customer Proposition Director for Foodservice at Booker, emphasises that “GLP-1-driven behaviour shifts are at the centre of dining out trends, bringing rapid changes to the way consumers order and consume food in bars and venues.” Smaller plates designed for sharing encourage variety and more flexible dining occasions.

Fish and seafood are particularly popular for sharing plates. Coated whitebait, salt and pepper squid, and hot and spicy squid can be served on stylish plates or ramekins with dips, offering filling and appealing snack options. Leigh explains, “Food that can be shared informally at the bar, the table, or outdoors can extend dwell times and bring additional drinks sales too.” These snacks are operationally efficient: high-margin, easy to prepare, and can be cooked straight from frozen in minutes.

For smaller venues, Leigh suggests focusing on versatile products that can be used across the menu. “Our teams can help chefs optimise their menus, bringing product diversity, choice and value, and make every purchase earn its place in the pantry.” Similarly, Hyacinthe highlights how creativity need not demand complex kitchen setups. “You just have to be smart about it. A lot can be done with a toaster, an induction and/or a blender. At The Cambridge, we don’t have any extraction and simply work with an oven and a blender. However, we are able to offer a nine-items bar snack menu which is complete, inclusive and delicious.”

Traditional bagged snacks remain an essential part of the bar snack mix. Stuart Graham, Head of Convenience and Impulse at KP Snacks, underscores their commercial importance: “Snacks represent an excellent commercial opportunity for pubs and bars, encouraging consumers to increase spend.” Visibility drives impulse sales, with 85% of consumers more likely to buy a packet of crisps if prominently displayed. Familiar brands like KP Nuts, McCoy’s, and Tyrrells ensure customer trust while capitalising on premiumisation trends.

Premium products, such as Tyrrells hand-cooked crisps, enhance the sense of occasion. With 24% of consumers identifying premium snacks as key to a special visit and 38% purchasing snacks to share with friends or family, there is a clear opportunity to drive trade-up. “Available in a 40g pack, the bold and hearty new flavour is perfectly positioned to elevate customer experiences,” Stuart says.

Luca Manni, Corporate Bar Manager at Valenza Group in Florence, notes that “snacks should always be consistent with the bar’s drink offering…basic options alone are no longer enough; they need to be complemented with more refined offerings that enhance the overall experience.”

Similarly, serving snacks in storage jars or visually prominent displays can increase attention and sales. Deborah Bradfield, Sales and Marketing Manager at Cambrook Foods, shares, “Serving snacks from storage jars prominently displayed behind the bar is not only a good way of attracting attention to innovative products but also has the benefit of reducing packaging when compared to the more traditional individual snack packs.

“Having said that, there has also been a general move to use recyclable packaging but the challenge here is in the availability and ease of disposing of the packaging in the relevant recycling stream. The appeal to consumers of serving from bulk packs is in using less packaging in the first place,” she adds.

A recurring theme across operators is the benefit of pairing food with drinks. Imogen emphasises, “We shouldn’t underestimate the power of a bar snack and drink together. Another big, missed opportunity is failing to suggest the two as a pair.”

Laurie adds, “It’s about treating snacks the same way you treat drinks. Simple signposting or suggestive pairings go a long way. A salty or umami snack next to a martini, something spicy with a lager, or a richer bite alongside darker spirits.”

This strategy not only elevates the customer experience but drives incremental sales. Offering sharing platters, three-for-two deals, or handheld options for larger occasions encourages social and experiential engagement. “Innovation is the hot topic within foodservice, and that doesn’t just refer to the food and drink you’re serving, but the entire experience,” Imogen observes.

Across the industry, premiumisation is driving growth. Operators are enhancing traditional snacks with elevated flavours, textures, and presentations. Luca notes that “premium, well-selected products are driving growth: well-marinated olives, high-quality almonds, carefully chosen chips.”

Laurie highlights that provenance, sustainability, and health-conscious choices are also increasingly important. “Guests don’t always actively ask about sustainability or health, but they do respond to it when it’s there, it adds to the feeling that the offer is more considered and higher quality,” she notes.

Similarly, Hyacinthe stresses the importance of accessibility and inclusivity, recommending that snacks cater to dietary restrictions and remain appropriately priced to complement drink selections. “Size shouldn’t be too large, so it leaves room for drinks and keeps the energy up, but it is also very important to have shareable items,” he explains.

Bar snacks are no longer just an accompaniment to drinks; they are a key driver of commercial and experiential value. By combining premiumisation, global flavours, functional nutrition, and social dining formats, operators can elevate their snack offering to attract consumers, extend dwell time, and drive incremental sales.

From bagged snacks to elevated sharing boards, pubs and bars have a range of tools to cater to evolving consumer expectations. Operationally, the focus should be on visibility, versatility and thoughtful pairing with drinks to maximise revenue without complicating the kitchen.

Ultimately, the most successful venues will view bar snacks not as a marginal addition but as a strategic opportunity — an essential component of the overall pub and bar experience. With consumer expectations evolving rapidly, those that innovate, present snacks appealingly, and offer quality-driven variety will find snacks to be a major contributor to both commercial performance and customer satisfaction.