The COVID-19 pandemic placed the restaurant industry in a sustained state of pivot as guest preferences and city ordinances continue to evolve and change. Third-party app integration, in-house pickup and delivery, and new digital tools are just a few of the new processes that brands are deploying to maintain sales.
By looking at data, restaurants can see which avenues are worth pursuing and what customers are responding to. Here are a few relevant stats worth considering for your brand:
· Dine in is down: Only 27% of patrons have dined in since COVID-19 began;
· Delivery is up: 54% of people have utilized some form of restaurant delivery option;
· Curbside and carry out present new opportunities: Respectively, 46% and 42% of customers have utilized these services.
So, what does the data say? Curbside and pickup present just as much opportunity as delivery for restaurants in 2020, if not larger.
This presents an even bigger reality – restaurants need to be ready to rapidly shift their operations as consumer purchasing behaviors continue to grow. In fact, what we’ve seen is that customers are growing tired of delivery and services fees, causing a shift in preferences.
“Which is exactly where curbside picks up the slack; it’s eating out without being out,” said Tillster CMO Hope Neiman in her recent Modern Restaurant Management article. “It’s supporting local brands without incurring significant fees for delivery. Curbside and pickup orders are, in the time of coronavirus, the bread and butter of restaurant success.”
By offering pickup, restaurants provide customers with a convenient way of getting the food they want, without the fees. And, brands have more quality control over orders, ensuring guests are provided with best-in-class service. At the same time, customers and brands are able to interact directly with each other to place and receive the order, keeping more dollars and data in the hands of local businesses.
How can brands begin to integrate curbside and pickup orders into internal ordering processes? By routing these orders through their contactless online or app-based ordering system, no matter the vector.
Learn more about launching curbside and carry out ordering capabilities, and the best practices for doing so in Neiman’s full article at Modern Restaurant Management, and for more information about Tillster’s solutions, contact our team.
