Online Ordering Statistics Every Restaurateur Should Know in 2021

Online ordering is experiencing meteoric growth. The trend of direct-to-consumer delivery and pickup has been adopted by global giants like Amazon to smaller start-ups. Restaurants have also embraced this trend. Food ordering online and through mobile apps exploded in 2019, and is only expected to continue to grow in 2021.

Global revenue from online food delivery is expected to rise to $151.5 billion in 2021. It has much to do with the fact that the current world situation is encouraging us all to stay home. Although it won't be easy to adjust to the change, one thing is certain: we are adapting and our lives are changing. Because of this, people are ordering more food than they did in the past.

The restaurant industry has displayed resilience during these uncertain times and has shown tremendous adaptability. The restaurant industry has undergone many changes as a result of COVID-19, but experts predict that they will continue to do so long after the pandemic ends.

We have compiled over 20 recent restaurant industry statistics that every restaurateur and restaurant operator should know in 2021.

1. 51% of adults have downloaded at least one food-related app amid COVID-19. 45% have downloaded two or more.
2. 20% of consumers say they spend more on off-premise orders compared to a regular dine-in experience.
3. 92% of restaurant traffic is now off-premise
4. 67% of consumers prefer to use a restaurant’s own website or app for food delivery. Of that group, 61% said it’s because they want to better support the restaurant.
5. 53% of consumers are downloading and using more apps to reduce interaction/contact with on-site staff.
6. 43% of users place orders via a restaurant app.
7. 68% of restaurants say that delivery has increased their revenue amid COVID-19.
8. 37% of restaurant operators think that customer ordering is the most crucial area for technological development

Restaurant Curbside Industry Statistics

9. Nearly 50% of Gen Z are willing to try out a new restaurant if curbside pickup is an option.
10. Outdoor dining (21%) and curbside pickup/in-store pickup (21%) proved to be the most popular things businesses tried in 2020, and consumers now expect them to become standard practice.

COVID-19 Restaurant Online Ordering Statistics

1. Own your online ordering system: 48% of restaurant professionals said they believe third-party apps interfere with the direct relationship between a restaurant and its customers.
2. From February to April there was a 169% increase in the number of restaurants actively using Online Ordering with Restolabs as restaurants quickly innovated and pivoted to takeout and delivery, paired with an 840% increase in weekly sales via online ordering.
3. 33% of consumers say they’re getting more takeout than before the pandemic
4. When it comes to post-COVID on-premise dining, 38% of people are most concerned with touching shared objects (countertops, napkin dispensers, chairs, cash), 28% with being near other people, 15% with staff preparing or handling food, 9% with being served from large containers, and 7% with interacting with restaurant staff
5. Online food and beverage transactions have grown by 93% since the beginning of the pandemic.
   

Restolabs: Making Online Ordering System Simpler and Effective for Restaurants

In order to make takeout and delivery more profitable and sustainable, Restolabs works with restaurants to build their very own online ordering systems. Through their respective websites or mobile applications, their restaurant partners accept limitless, commission-free in-store pickup, curbside drop-off, curbside delivery, and contactless dine-in orders.

The majority of restaurant customers choose to order straight from the restaurants rather than using an online platform. This restaurant-to-customer approach is set to have revenue of $71,918 million by the end of 2021, compared to the $79,608 million of the platform-to-customer approach. It's cheaper and with fewer additional fees to order directly from a restaurant than through a special platform, which explains why it's more popular.

Statistics like those above demonstrate the need for an online ordering system that is tailored to the company's needs. It is a fact that 85% of your regular customers prefer mobile ordering. The ability for customers to order food online through mobile devices is a convenient and quick way to do so. Having both a website and an app for your business will provide you with an additional revenue stream and help you retain clientele.

Want to know if Restolabs is the right fit for your restaurant? Take a demo here.