Millennials shifting around £1 billion in spend a year to delivery services, survey says
The percentage of food orders from online delivery services are also expected to rise next year.
Home delivery, veganism and the ongoing rise in technology explain why millennials are reshaping the dining industry, according to a survey by Planday.
20% of the millennials have responded that they are starting to eat out less often as food can be delivered at home while 9% of them also said that they are likely to make restaurant bookings.
This is said to have represented a shift of £1 billion a year to food delivery from in-restaurant dining.
“We know from our own customer base that things are only likely to get less predictable as just under two thirds (63%) of our customers who are restaurant managers expect the percentage of food orders from online delivery services to increase over the next year,” John Coldicutt, chief commercial officer of Planday, said.
“In order to stay competitive and profitable, restaurants need to listen to changing consumer preferences and use the available technologies to cater to an increasingly unpredictable environment.”
52% of the respondents answered that they are willing to dine in if restaurant services are done by robots as compared to 39% of Gen X diners. But Planday noted that they are still craving for human interactions as 51% would prefer to make a complaint or a compliment to a person over machines.
Veganism still continues to be recognised as a trend as millennials are turning to a plant-based and environmental-friendly approach. 75% thinks that vegan or vegetarian restaurants will be most in demand in the next two years.
“The UK restaurant sector has seen multiple high-profile closures in the last 12 months, as well-established chains struggle to correctly predict and match market demand. This survey gives us insight into the complex and changing consumer expectations, from younger to older diners, contributing to this challenging environment,” Coldicutt added.
