Delivery a bright spot for U.S. food-service: report

Chicago – Convenience is a key reason delivery now represents 1.7 billion restaurant and food-service visits a year, suggests research from the NPD Group.

Delivery is such a popular way to source meals and snacks that one quarter of all U.S. consumers claim to have ordered a meal via delivery in the past three months, the international information company said in a news release. Young adults are the heaviest users of food-service delivery, representing more than half of delivery orders.

As a comparison to other generations, 29 per cent of millennials ordered restaurant foods or beverages via delivery in the last week while nearly half of baby boomers and older customers use delivery less than once a month. 

Consumers using delivery services report being very satisfied but young adults are the most satisfied with about 90 per cent of Gen Z and millennials very satisfied or satisfied.

Ordering delivery through a website, app or text is the fastest growing method. Digital orders have jumped from 22 per cent in 2011 to 48 per cent (includes delivery and in-store pick-up) in 2016. NPD reports that 46 per cent of all food-service delivery orders are on a deal because of the easy access to coupons and other discounts.

“Delivery epitomizes convenience, which is the value of using food service in the first place,” said Warren Solochek, president of NPD’s Foodservice Practice. “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.”