Gen Z 4x More Likely to Use Food Delivery Services Than Boomers

Restaurant aggregators’ audiences are skewed toward younger consumers by a wide margin, PYMNTS data reveals.

By the Numbers

Research from PYMNTS’ new exclusive report “Connected Dining: Third-Party Restaurant Aggregators Keep the Young and Affluent Engaged,” which draws from a survey of narly 2,300 United States consumers conducted in March, finds that 69% of Generation Z consumers reported having used a third-party food aggregator in the previous six months, a greater share than any other generation.

Conversely, each successive older generation was that much less likely to have used an aggregator in the same period. At the far end, a share only one-fifth that size — 14% — of baby boomers and seniors had done so.

The Context

Consequently, aggregators are doing everything in their power to win over young consumers.

Grubhub, for its part, recently announced that it is working with Transact Campus, a company that creates digital payment solutions for colleges and universities, to offer the former’s marketplace via the latter’s app. The partnership enables students to pay for their restaurant meals with their campus cards, as they would pay for tuition, housing or dining hall meals.

“This integration is a major win for everyone involved and a big step forward to provide a more holistic dining experience for students,” said Geoff Ellis, vice president of strategic partnerships and business development at Grubhub, said in the announcement.

Plus, in February, DoorDash announced a partnership with education technology company Chegg to enable college students who are subscribed to the latter’s Study Pack program, which includes a range of educational support tools, to get a free DashPass Student membership.

“We are thrilled to partner with Chegg to empower students with the tools they need to manage their coursework and get everything they desire for school delivered on-demand,” said Rob Edell, general manager and head of consumer engagement at DoorDash said, in a statement at the time.