As the seasons change, and restaurants get ready to open their patios and continue to fill their tables, off-premise dining is still in hot demand. Takeout and delivery helped many restaurants survive the pandemic and get back on their feet afterward, and it will continue to help the industry grow well into 2023.
It seems diners have adopted off-premise dining as part of a new way to regularly enjoy their favourite restaurants, with 66 per cent of consumers saying that they are more likely to order takeout now than pre-pandemic, and 55 per cent saying the same about delivery.
This practice has benefitted restaurants across the board, with 6 in ten operators confirming higher off-premise dining sales in 2022 than in 2019. In addition, most operators are finding that off-premise dining makes up more of their total sales than ever before, so it’s continuing to be a reliable source of income.
From the consumer perspective, 55 per cent of diners prefer to deal with the restaurant directly rather than with third-party delivery services. Along with food, off-premise diners would like to see more alcohol available, with 60 per cent saying they would like the option to order wine by the glass and 64 per cent wanting to order wine to-go by the bottle.
A recent study also shows that consumers are also adding takeout dishes to their holiday meals, with 50 per cent of consumers ordering at least part of their meal to celebrate the occasion. This is another way that restaurants can start to market and capitalize on the steady takeout and delivery demand.
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While the foodservice industry is still in recovery mode, dealing with long-term labour shortages, food inflation, and continued supply chain challenges, off-premise dining remains a steady source of income for many restaurants. As diners continue to favour off-premise dining, restaurants that get it right will get the chance to stay ahead of their competition.
