26th May, 2022
Restaurant Delivery Trends
2020 lockdowns forced the adoption of delivery and takeaway and 2021 saw a sharp spike in continued demand. While venue owners did not see this coming, consumers loved it and are now used to it. When done well, delivery provides a solid extra revenue stream for any operation.
In 2022 and beyond restaurants and cafes will need to keep their focus on delivery to ensure they are accessible via Online Food Delivery (OFD) Platforms.
Below we share some considerations for venues to optimise their delivery services in 2022:
Consumer Ordering Habits
It is almost unbelievable to think that before 2020 delivering food from a restaurant was literally taboo. Fast forward to 2022 and fast food is the norm. It is safe to say the food delivery ordering behaviors we have seen from consumers are not slowing down anytime soon. In fact, restaurants and cafes should be looking at innovative ways to engage these consumers, hence we expect this channel to evolve even further.
Historically, OFD was predominantly surrounding ‘usual’ eating and dining periods. What we see now is an ‘always on’ expectation when it comes to order in. Breakfast, lunch and quick snacks need to be ready to go on demand. On the bright side for venues that do offer delivery and take away, service times are expanded reducing the need for split shifts and downtime in their kitchens.
Optimal Packaging
One of the biggest challenges will be striking a balance with packaging that supports transportation of the new variation of menu items and the recent focus on the environment and progressive ban on single use plastics.
Take away containers and other forms of delivery packaging have definitely seen huge growth with the rise in food delivery during the last few years, specifically due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since delivery packaging is now more than ever such a big part of the foodservice industry, expect to see restaurants seeking innovation and versatility where packaging options are concerned.
We should expect restaurants to continue to expand their delivery and take away packaging requirements, namely improved durability, heat safe and re-heatable, economical use of space, all this while considering environmental impact, reduction of landfill and waste.
Keeping it ‘In House’
When lockdowns hit us, the majority of venues turned to the major delivery aggregators to handle high volumes of OFD’s. Many did, however, introduce their own In House service in an attempt to keep the profit and avoid the challenges that come with receiving external orders. While this is a logical option, unless operators have the staff to maintain service levels and new technology systems to cope, In House delivery will be only for the venues that run with smooth systems and healthy staffing capacity.
Efficiencies and ROI
With this growth, we see so many venue owners calling for review on the ROI for their floor space of their venues. With delivery accounting for larger parts of their turnover, many have changed their ‘dine in’ space to reflect take away and delivery demand.
In many cases this involves kitchen redesign to cater for efficient and purpose built delivery function, looking at equipment to suit this style of service. In addition this is a great opportunity to introduce new and trendy upgrades to outdoor dining and ventilated areas, which we know is another growing trend.
Stay tuned for our next article in the series: Top Restaurant Trends we will see in 2022
For more information about the FSAA visit www.fsaa.org.au.