We are living in a digital age in which we are basically doing everything online – including eating. And we have the online food delivery statistics below to prove it.
Maybe we want our food delivered to our doorstep when it’s too hot to go outside, or when it’s too cold, or when it’s raining. Or when we are too busy or too tired to go to the restaurant and wait for the food to be brought to our table. This is the norm now.
But when did food delivery start? Apparently, the first food delivery is believed to have originated in Naples, Italy as early as 1889. Fast forward 132 years and on demand food delivery is as common as eating itself.
Recently, the Coronavirus pandemic has become the main reason why people order food online. And restaurants have picked up on that. According to Software Advice, the search for food delivery software has increased 179% on their website between the months of February and March 2020.
However, having restaurant meals delivered to your home is above anything else, convenient. Being able to place food orders online has become the standard, as the following online food ordering statistics will prove.
Convenience is actually one of the 9 secondary needs that humans acquire during their lifetime:
- To be informed
- Curiosity
- Cleanliness of body and surroundings
- Efficiency
- Convenience
- Dependability/quality
- Expression of beauty and style
- Economy/profit
- Bargains
[bctt tweet=”Scientists back up the fact that convenience is the most important factor influencing food industry statistics.” username=”gloriafood”] In fact, this is what Hudson Riehle, SVP of Research and Innovation Services for the National Restaurant Association has to say about the rise of online food delivery services:
“From the consumer perspective, there’s nothing more convenient than having the restaurant come to them.
The off-premise component has been primarily responsible for industry growth over the past decade, and it won’t be decreasing into 2018 and beyond.”
Nigel Travis, CEO of Dunkin Donuts believes that delivery will turn up to be the holy grail [of the restaurant industry] in the next few years.
Related: Growing Restaurant Industry Statistics & how you can benefit from them
Melissa Wilson, principal of Technomic – an important consulting and research firm – says:
“It’s a lot of people who do not want to go out to a restaurant for the occasion.
We hear from drivers how often people answer the door in their pajamas.”
And according to another research report on digital food ordering statistics conducted by UBS called “Is the Kitchen Dead?:
“Online ordering has started to become the norm, thanks to the convenience, accuracy, and ability to integrate payments.
“At scale, ubiquitous on-demand and subscription delivery of prepared food could potentially spell the end of cooking at home.”
The following restaurant online ordering statistics that you’re about to read will certainly change your mind about how blooming the restaurant industry and online food delivery services market can become.
So how many people order food for delivery? Let’s take a look at the online food ordering trends and restaurant delivery statistics in the food infographic below to find out.
Online Food Delivery Industry Statistics
Related: Combine any of these 15 Unique Restaurant Promotion Ideas with free delivery to grow your sales
Warren Solochek, president of NPD’s Foodservice Practice had the following insight after a food delivery industry analysis:
“Delivery epitomizes convenience, which is the value of using foodservice in the first place.
If delivery fits a foodservice operator’s business model and it’s operationally feasible, they definitely need to add it on as an option in order to stay competitive.”
Similarly, Panera CEO Blaine Hurst also recognized the importance of enabling food delivery:
“Consumers go in and out of habits. If I decide I want to try delivery and they don’t have delivery as an option, I’m going to try another restaurant.”
So, as you can see in the food delivery infographic above, these online food delivery stats reveal a powerful truth: the food delivery trends are here to stay. As a result, the online food ordering industry size is gaining quite the momentum.
So make sure you use these online food home delivery statistics to improve your customer service and increase sales. If you’re also interested, then this is also a great read: Slice of the Pie: Pizza Consumption Trends & Industry Statistics.
If you’ve scoured the food delivery software market and came up empty-handed, read more about our restaurant delivery integrations.
Related: Restaurant App Statistics: Why Your Restaurant Needs An App To Sell More [infographic]
