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America is changing and so are its food habits. People don't want to waste time standing in long queues to get the first coffee of the day. They no longer have to set a reminder to book a reservation at the upscale restaurant downtown. All they have to do is click a few buttons on their smartphones and they can get their favorite dish from their favourite restaurant delivered at their preferred location.
A new study on Americans eating habits revealed that nearly 82 percent of respondents order food online at least once every two weeks. The typical american spends anywhere between $1200 - $2000 annually on food deliveries. Food tech and delivery companies have seen a substantial surge in the trend in the last decade.
But what prompts the surge? The top reasons for reluctantly ordering food online are cravings, weather conditions (too hot or too cold), and not having time to cook.
Ordering-in sn’t just for lazy days anymore: It’s now the new way of life.
Food Delivery Habits of Americans
All work and no play!
$6,000 USD is what Ben Adams spent in the first half of 2019 on food delivery. That's 15% of his annual salary. Most of the orders were placed during work hours. According to a report shared by Statistica, 69% of male respondents stated that they ordered delivery food from work, while only 63% of women follow the same pattern. This statistic is important because lunchtime happens in the middle of the day where people don’t have a lot of time to cook their meals. They prefer to order from the most reasonable place near to their office.
Source: Statista
Two is company, three is a crowd!
May be couples are getting anti-social these days, or maybe they just want to cozy up and spend some quality time together after a hectic week. Whatever their reason may be to stay at home on weekends, the fact is that Americans couples are ordering food online more often than singles.
Watch out for Night Owls
Out-of-business hours delivery elucidates the new wave of demand in the American market, Chicago being the country’s number one late-night delivery city. In a recent survey by Grubhub, men are more likely to order food online during weekends and midnight hours. In fact, it has been observed that men place late night (10 p.m. – 6 a.m.) orders 55% percent more than women. This study elaborates men’s propensity to burn the midnight oil. After dark, pizza reigns supreme, especially for students.
Your Food, My Food
A family of 4 now orders 4 different dishes from 4 different restaurants at once - that’s the enigma of online ordering and delivery in the age of convenience and maximalism. The same trend has been observed in Pizza Delivery. Nearly 1 in 3 couples have agreed to do the same if they are not able to decide on one particular dish or cuisine.
What restaurants can learn from this trend?
To begin with, to attract and retain more customers, food establishments must evolve. In particular, the trend of online ordering and delivery is shaping today’s chain-restaurant landscape. Full-service eateries are facing increased competition from QSRs and Fast Food chains that are reinventing themselves to meet the demands of convenience seeking Americans.
By 2020, restaurants that won’t implement online ordering system will lose 70% of their annual business.
Take out and ordering-in, driven by millennials and Generation Z, will continue to boom. Given the statistics, there has never been a better time to get into the online food ordering and delivery business, especially if you are just starting out.
All data points prompt toward an influx of sales for restaurants that implement the online ordering-delivery system in the business model. Along with adding another revenue stream, it can also revolutionize your business.
Check out how Online Ordering increased Pizza Pirate’s Check Size by 40% with
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