It wasn’t too long ago that the only food you could get delivered to your home or office was Chinese or pizza. That is no longer the case. Thanks to a combination of on-demand food delivery and restaurants hiring their own delivery drivers, you can get just about any kind of cuisine delivered hot and ready to eat.
The interesting thing about food delivery is that it caters to a specific mindset. You could make the case that it separates dining out from mere eating. That is neither a good nor a bad thing. It just is. People who prefer food delivery are just looking to get something they can eat while they continue on with the rest of their day. Those who prefer dining out want more. They are looking for something to eat and a memorable experience to go along with it.
Food Delivery Growth
Just in case you are not keyed in on modern food delivery, it’s pretty hot these days. According to QSR Magazine, research data suggests that restaurant delivery sales will grow considerably over the next few years. Between now and 2023, food delivery sales are expected to see average year-on-year growth in excess of 20%. To what can we attribute this growth? Convenience.
There is no arguing the fact that the modern world is moving at a faster pace than ever before. When life speeds up, people look to convenience as a way to better manage their time. Food delivery answers that bell. It is a lot more convenient to have your dinner delivered to your door as compared to having to come home from work, cook a full meal, then clean up the kitchen afterward. With delivery you answer the door, eat your meal, and throw the garbage in the trashcan. Easy.
Dining Out Won’t Die
As popular as food delivery has become, it is not likely to replace traditional dining. Simply put, dining out is not going to die at the hands of delivery. How do we know? Because the two models are completely different in their fundamental natures.
The practice of dining out is all about enjoying an experience you cannot get at home. That experience starts with someone else cooking for you. Yes, food delivery also involves someone else doing the cooking, but they attractiveness of dining out doesn’t stop there.
There is also the experience of sitting down in a dining room and being served by a professional server. Once menus are delivered to the table, there is the experience of perusing all of the choices in order to determine what you want. For some people, looking at the menu is one of the best parts of dining out.
Then there is the social aspect. The vast majority of restaurant diners do not dine alone. Most dine with family members at the very least. Others dine with good friends, colleagues, and so forth. Delivery just doesn’t offer the same experience.
The Neighborhood Dining Concept
Even as food delivery sales are growing, the restaurant industry is looking for other ways to enhance on-site sales. An emerging trend is the neighborhood dining concept embraced by Salt Lake City’s Taqueria27 Mexican restaurant. The people behind Taqueria27 say neighborhood dining in 2020 is a nod to the family restaurant movement that was so popular back in the 1960s, 70s, and 80s.
Neighborhood dining is social dining. It is an opportunity to build connections among neighbors. And while you can accomplish the same thing by having a bunch of people over and having food delivered, it works a lot better in the restaurant environment.
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