Midlands towns make list of top destinations for independent restaurants

Wolverhampton, Telford, Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent have all made the Independent Restaurant Index.

Put together by business-switching service Bionic using data from almost 65,000 restaurants across the UK, the company found Sunderland in the north-east was the UK's top destination when it comes to independent restaurants, followed by Cardiff, Nottingham and Brighton.

Wolverhampton was the highest-ranking West Midlands town or city and came in at tenth, ranking higher than even Birmingham.

The research found that Wolverhampton had the highest proportion of independent restaurants compared to the number of chains in the area.

Les Roberts from Bionic said: "As chains go, KFC is the favourite in Wolverhampton. However, even with such a well-loved chain option, Wolverhampton continues to show support to their independent businesses, making the most of the unique, local options."

Meanwhile, Telford, which makes the list at number 14, beating both Birmingham (15) and Stoke (20), was named as YouTube's favourite UK food hotspot.

Bionic analysed how much each city is posting to social media about dining out, looking at data such as the number of foodie influencers on different platforms posting about independent restaurants and local venues in different cities.

They found that Telford had the highest presence on the video sharing platform.

"YouTube is great because users can share lengthier reviews, giving potential customers an in-depth insight into what the dining experience is truly like," said Les Roberts.

"However, when it comes to Instagram, Telford has not ranked as favourably, with the lowest presence when it comes to restaurants in all of the UK. So if you're looking for the best places to dine in Telford, YouTube is the place to look."

Les added that there were on average more than 7,000 searches on YouTube each month for topics surrounding Telford-based restaurant recommendations and reviews, along with 2,000 online searches each month for the term “Telford restaurants”.

And the Shropshire town is also doing well on TikTok, with Telford having the seventeenth-highest presence on TikTok for food searches.

Councillor Lee Carter (Lab), Telford & Wrekin cabinet member for the economy and neighbourhood services said, “We have some great independent restaurants in Telford & Wrekin and I am pleased to see our Town being recognised as one of the top 20 in the UK for independent restaurants. This new research is a testament to the vibrant culinary scene we have here, and it highlights the hard work and dedication of our local restaurateurs.

“Not only do our independent restaurants contribute to the local economy, but they also create a thriving social hub where friends, families, and visitors can come together to sample good food, sourced locally. These establishments add character to our high streets and enhance our cultural diversity.

“I encourage everyone in Telford to celebrate this achievement by continuing to support our incredible independent restaurants, and also to spread the word about the gems we have right here on our doorstep.”