The pandemic redefined many facets of daily life. Restaurants and other businesses within the broader foodservice industry initially suffered from closures and dining habit transitions. Originally, people spent more money at grocery stores and QSR drive-thrus for home-cooked, fast food, or grab-and-go meals. Although dine-in experiences are now on the rise, off-premise sales remain strong and are trending much higher than before the pandemic.
Similar to the decline of the American buffet that began long before COVID-19 closed many restaurants, the growing significance of takeout and delivery on the restaurant industry's bottom line represents a paradigm shift that will continue. Customers prefer the lower cost, greater comfort, and convenience of eating at home, even if the meal is a takeout option rather than something cooked in their kitchen.
Patron counts at casual dining and full-service restaurants have rebounded as restrictions ended. At the same time, takeout and delivery numbers remain incredibly vibrant due to enhancements in online ordering options, the wide availability of third-party apps, an increase in grab-and-go selections, and the presence of designated spaces for curbside pickups.
Even restaurants with healthy and increasing on-premise sales can learn and benefit from what many QSRs have known for years. Some supermarkets quickly learned during the pandemic: American adults plan to continue eating at home and expect real-time takeout and delivery options to improve. Restaurants that understand and embrace this reality are better positioned to meet millennials' and Gen-Z's dining needs.
The takeout-and-delivery trend continues to grow considerably due to businesses implementing secure, trustworthy, and reliable online ordering options. Statistics gathered from various industry sources tell a powerful story that foodservice and restaurant decision-makers must consider.
Sixty percent of American consumers prefer takeout and delivery at least once a week, and nearly a third engage with third-party delivery services more than once a week. These patrons spend money: One-third have online orders of $50 or higher, and 20 percent spend more on off-premise purchases than on dine-in restaurant experiences. Although 87 percent of American consumers appreciate the convenience of third-party providers, 70 percent would rather submit orders to the restaurant directly. Hence, their money goes to the businesses that make the meals they enjoy.
Post-pandemic, more than three-fourths of restaurant guests prefer contactless payment options. Loyalty programs and convenient mobile ordering would encourage 45% of consumers to use online ordering more frequently. As a demographic trend, delivery or takeout accounts for 59% of restaurant orders made by millennials.
To maintain and grow their market share, today's restaurants should seek online ordering and payment options that their customers expect. Whether that includes kiosk-based systems, better websites, or apps that do not require third-party involvement in pickup and delivery, customer-friendly automation is imperative.
An essential part of designing and improving automation involves introspection, looking at where the business is and where it should go. It is wise to avoid the pitfall of believing that one-size-fits-all. Instead, restaurants and the foodservice suppliers they rely upon should re-evaluate their business model and understand how to meet evolving customer wants and needs.
Whether picked up by customers or delivery drivers, foods stocked in top-rated merchandisers and display cases keep properly-packaged meals fresh and safe. The newly-released Vision Series provides restaurants, QSRs, and other foodservice establishments a variety of attractive, durable, cost-efficient, and high-quality food merchandiser solutions. The Vision Series meets the needs of restaurants selling heated, refrigerated, or non-refrigerated items.