As restaurant dining returns to pre-pandemic levels, diners are craving value, willing to pay for convenience and want quality when ordering takeout.
Those are top findings from a Deloitte survey, “The Future of Restaurants: The New Normal and Beyond,” that includes insight from a poll of 750 consumers who had ordered from a restaurant within the last three months.
The survey revealed consumers are increasingly going out to eat with dining rebounding given more than half, 55%, are dining out as much or more than before the COVID-19 pandemic which hit the U.S. in March of 2020.
When it comes to takeout diners still expect quality as 60% said they are unlikely to accept lesser quality when ordering takeout food.
More than one-third, 37%, of dine-in guests and 40% of takeout guests want less expensive options along with promotions and discounts.
“The restaurant industry is emerging from the pandemic with a menu full of opportunities to serve its customers, both in the dining room and off-premise. With large-scale changes on the horizon, driven by advanced technologies and ongoing shifts in consumer demands and preferences, we can expect restaurants to look dramatically different in 10 years. As a result, restaurants should consider implementing various offerings that enable consumers to maximize the dining experience and set up their operations for long-term growth,” Jean Chick, principal and U.S. restaurant and foodservice leader, Deloitte Consulting LLP, said in a press release on the findings.
When placing a delivery or takeout order, 40% of customers prefer to do so directly through a restaurant’s app or website, compared to 13% who prefer third-party apps or websites.
Regardless of how an order is placed, most customers (87%) believe a delivery fee of $5 or less is fair for the convenience it brings.
Younger diners have a taste for tech. Consumers age 18-38 are more likely to return to restaurants that use automation technologies than those age 39 years or older, signaling that these technologies are likely to continue to be adopted over time.
Additional findings include:
- Nearly half (47%) of customers would order from a restaurant that offers delivery via drones and driverless vehicles, up from 44% in 2021.
- A majority of consumers said they are at least somewhat likely to use voice automated ordering systems, including 79% for drive-thru, 74% for phone systems and 70% for dine-in.
- Acceptance of kitchen automation is on the rise: 60% of consumers noted they are somewhat likely to order from a kitchen that prepares food, at least in part, through robotic technologies, up from 54% in 2021.
- Although only 19% of those surveyed had experience with a cashierless restaurant, 62% said they would be somewhat likely to order from one if given the opportunity.
