Monday November 21, 2016
Research conducted by CGA Peach has found that nearly 27 million people have had restaurant or takeaway food delivered in the UK over the last 6 months, with a third of consumers increasing the frequency with which they do so. Weekly delivery numbers have been found to be almost identical to the number of weekly dine-in restaurant visits, showing a real shift towards convenience eating at home. Traditional ‘fast-food’ establishments are not the only places offering delivery anymore. High street restaurant chains, cafes and even luxury restaurants are joining the trend, with Michelin-starred restaurant Galvin at Windows recently trialing delivery of a £35 set menu using the Deliveroo service.
This rise in consumers ordering dishes for delivery has led to an average sales increase of 54% for the takeaway sales of restaurants, with companies such as Deliveroo, Just Eat and UberEats playing a major part in this boost.
Although food delivery has been growing at a rapid rate, there is still room for improvement in how dishes reach customers. More than a third of consumers believe that the standard of delivered food is worse than that served in restaurants. Research by Versapak, supplier of insulated delivery satchels, has found that delivering unacceptable dishes to customers is costing the UK takeaway industry as much as £291m a year in refunded meals.
By investing in the right packaging and technology, food can be kept well-presented and stay hot and fresh from the moment it leaves the restaurant until it reaches the customer. Packaging such as Hot n Crispy bags, which stop food going soggy, and leak proof bowls will make a huge difference to the quality that your dishes arrive in.
A staggering 43% of those that order food for delivery say that they would also order an alcoholic drink if the option were available to them. To capitalise on this operators can, not only, add bottled drinks to their delivery menu, but also become inventive with cocktails, milkshakes, juices and other drink offerings that can be delivered in leak-proof tumblers.
This shift in the way that customers are looking to enjoy their meals is reflective of today’s convenience lifestyle. Great food and service will always be a core requirement, but it’s the way that it’s delivered, paid for, made available and accessed that will change.
The British Takeaway Awards (BTA), run in association with Just Eat were created last year to reflect this expanding industry. This year the awards are being held on 5th December in London and now contain two new awards. ‘Best Takeaway Chef’ and ‘Best Takeaway Delivery Driver’ have been created to reflect the rise in the popularity of food delivery and to provide recognition for the men and women who are an essential part of the takeaway and delivery industry.
Not offering home delivery to your customers yet? You could be missing out on the chance to increase your profits. Speak to us today about our ranges of packaging to help your business retain the quality that your customers expect from your dishes, even when it’s delivered to their door.
