PARIS, June 27 — The Covid-19 pandemic is largely behind us, but there are some lasting effects in many areas, including in our dining habits. Dining out has turned a corner.
Although customers are indeed heading back to the restaurant in the US, with 55 per cent of consumers indicating that they go out as much or even more than before the pandemic; they have embraced certain habits acquired throughout the health crisis, starting with the outsourced experience embodied by delivery and takeaway.
More than three years after the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, we haven’t forgotten how eager we were to be back eating in a restaurant, a key symbol among all the businesses forced to shut their doors in order to counter the virus’s spread. So it’s no surprise that consumers are keen to book a table.
For instance in France, 2022 — considered the first full year post Covid-19 — saw a sharp upturn in activity. Taking all channels together, restaurant sales were up 13.5 per cent for that year compared to 2019, according to Gira Conseil, despite the inflationary context that has taken a toll on consumers’ budgets (and morale).
However the lockdowns of this past period were experiences that prompted consumers to think about dining out differently.
In other words, customers haven’t completely moved on, for the simple reason that they’ve integrated new habits that emerged during the pandemic. This is one of the conclusions of an extensive Deloitte study carried out in the United States.
The most concrete example concerns ordering food. The need for contactless delivery is still desirable for many consumers. Meanwhile 40 per cent of customers say they prefer to order via a restaurant’s app or website compared to 13 per cent for third-party apps.
However, various new forms of takeout created by digital technology developments in the restaurant experience retain significant appeal, such as the concept of “ghost kitchens,” which have no space for hosting customers but are dedicated exclusively to deliveries and takeout.
While many in the industry have denounced this business model as a threat to independent restaurants, the concept is not likely to die out any time soon with 52 per cent of respondents saying they would order from such an address.
But while consumers may be willing to forego a total dining experience involving waiters and paper menus, that doesn’t mean that they don’t have high expectations for the food.
Customers aren’t prepared to make sacrifices on quality for convenience with 60 per cent of those questioned saying they would not accept inferior quality when it comes to the food of their takeout orders.
A finding that businesses should take note of since some 69 per cent of consumers order food for takeaway or delivery as much as they did during the pandemic, or even more.
Of course with the inflation that followed the pandemic, price has become a more important consideration when dining out. Some 37 per cent of dine-in guests would appreciate having cheaper options in addition to promotions or discounts. Nearly the same proportion (40 per cent) of takeout customers expressed the same wish.
In France, changes in restaurant customer behaviour are not limited to the integration of delivery services as a new way of consuming.
According to Gira Conseil, the French are going to restaurants on a more spontaneous basis, and are increasingly choosing an eatery more for its cuisine or quality produce than for its chef. — ETX Studio
