Off-Premise Orders Grab 60% of Foodservice Opportunities

WASHINGTON—Off-premise orders are approximately 60% of all restaurant occasions, driven by carryout, delivery and drive-thru options, according to the National Restaurant Association’s study “Harnessing Technology to Drive Off-Premises Sales.”

“The restaurant industry is constantly changing and technology’s role in it continues to become more critical,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of research and knowledge group for the association, in a press release. “Now in our centennial year, we are seeing the industry change and adapt faster than ever before in response to the macro-environmental factors driving consumer behavior. In today’s on-demand world, off-premises capabilities are more important than ever to keep restaurants aligned with the wants and needs of its customers.”

As consumer lifestyles are continuously driven by the convenience and speed of online and app-based ordering in other industries, customers are more receptive to consumer-facing technologies such as drive-thru enhancements, order accuracy tracking and frictionless mobile ordering. The survey found that:

• 92% of consumers use drive-thru at least once a month.
• 34% of consumers utilize delivery more often than a year ago.
• 79% of consumers use restaurant delivery (53% use third-party delivery) at least once a month.

The future of off-premises is far-reaching. Consumer receptiveness to enhanced restaurant technology extends both inside and outside the operation, and technology is becoming more commonplace. Key areas of emerging technology use results include:

• 22% of consumers used kiosk ordering last year and 11% used voice-assisted ordering.
• If available, 69% of consumers would use vehicles with built-in heating trays to keep food warm and 41% would use autonomous delivery.
• 44% of restaurant operators who offer voice ordering, and 50% who offer location intelligence to target new customers based on their position, say it has a large positive impact on their business.

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