Canadians hungry for food delivery, says national service

June 11, 2015, Toronto – Canada is increasingly becoming a “food delivery nation” as demand for online food delivery has seen a significant increase in the past year and continues to grow, according to an online restaurant ordering service.

Data from Orderit, an online ordering and delivery company that works with 1,500 Canadian restaurants, suggests Canadians’ demand for food delivery is exponentially growing while also indicating a substantial shift away from traditional foods associated with delivery such as Pizza and Chinese food and toward trendy, ethnically diverse, and healthier options.

“What was once considered the domain of Pizza and Rotisserie Chicken has expanded to reflect the reality of the diverse Canadian restaurant scene,” says Cameron Reid, founder and president of the company. “We’re seeing an increased demand for online food delivery in Toronto, Vancouver and beyond. It is resulting in over 100 per cent year over year growth in order volumes.”

This is in line with Google search volumes for online food delivery in Canada, which have increased by 258 per cent over the past four years. Similar trends exist in the U.S. and Europe where e-commerce giants such as Amazon, Google and Uber are pushing into the online food delivery space. The U.S. market for online food delivery is estimated at US$67 billion annually, which translates to a Canadian market worth upwards of $6 or $7 billion. Orderit is poised to capture an increasing portion of this market with new city launches and continuing investment in its technology.

Data from Orderit shows that consumers’ tastes are shifting towards diverse food options with several regional differences; while Butter Chicken is the top seller in both Vancouver and Toronto, Torontonians are more likely to order barbecue, souvlaki, and pad Thai while in Vancouver, banh mi, power protein salads and carnitas are gaining in popularity.

Mobile use has increased by 125 per cent over the past year as more and more Canadians reach for their phones rather than desktops when making an online order. “We expect to see a continuous rise in mobile usage in the future,” Reid says. “… and diners’ demand for more diverse foods has meant that our partner restaurants truly reflect the diverse and adventurous food scene that Canada is quickly adopting.”