It's become much easier to order your favorite dishes at restaurants. In the last five years, deliveries to restaurants have grown by 20%. This will represent nearly 40% of restaurant sales. Before the pandemic closed thousands of establishments, the U.S.
restaurant industry. The U.S. grew by 3 to 4 percent per year. Delivery sales increased approximately twice that rate (from 7 to 8 percent).
While population growth was a factor, most of the increase came at the expense of the grocery sector, as millennials and Generation Z preferred the convenience of prepared meals. Both food service operators and retail stores are responsible for delivering food to consumers and to tables. As food delivery gained momentum during the pandemic, food delivery markets viewed procurement as a strategy to gain market share. Many consumers also turned to meal kit subscriptions as a way to not only get food for their meals, but also to make preparing and cooking their own food an entertaining activity.
Busy parents and consumers who work and don't have much free time are often looking for time-saving trends in the food industry. Rappi, based in Bogotá (Colombia), is an example of a multivertical delivery application that combines food delivery with other orders (through services such as RappiFavor or RappiCash), while Uber Eats and DoorDash have begun to explore the possibility of stacking orders as part of their food offerings. Comprehensive personalization helps ensure that customer preferences, such as food allergies, are taken into account at every meal and that dietary recommendations are more accurate. In line with current health trends and environmental concerns, many consumers are interested in consuming only organic foods.
