For Restaurants, Digital Channels Are Menu Must-Haves

The restaurant industry has gradually changed to meet customer expectations for convenient, seamless experiences. Then the pandemic hit, and this gradual shift drastically accelerated. Restaurants of all types had to embrace delivery and takeout because health concerns and lockdowns made sit-down dining impossible or undesirable. Digital sales channels, therefore, became essential to restaurants.

Even as the worst of the pandemic winds down, the changes it wrought on restaurants will remain. Consumers are more accustomed to and desire digital methods when deciding where to eat and how to order and pay for meals than before the pandemic. The shift has been so profound that digital ordering and payment options are now central to the restaurant industry.

In the July edition of the “ Order To Eat Tracker®,” PYMNTS explores how consumers’ digital preferences are changing the restaurant industry.

Around the Order to Eat Space

According to a report from DoorDash, delivery and takeout are as popular as ever. The report found that, compared to 2021, 86% of consumers reported ordering takeout or pickup as much or more this year. For delivery, the share dropped slightly to 83%. The report also found that digital ordering methods were becoming more popular, with the share of consumers using delivery apps, such as DoorDash or Uber Eats, rising from 15% to 24%. A similar rise occurred in the use of restaurant websites, while the portion of consumers calling in an order dropped from 29% to 10%.

As digital ordering becomes more popular, restaurants are experimenting with novel ordering methods. Taco Bell, for example, recently opened a location in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, that overhauled the drive-thru experience. Called Taco Bell Defy, this Taco Bell’s drive-thru has four lanes, two stories and vertical lifts to bring orders from the kitchen to the customers waiting below. The goal is to decrease service times and provide customers with a seamless, convenient ordering experience.

For more on these and other stories, visit the Tracker’s News and Trends section.

Pizza Guys on Why Digital Ordering Is No Longer Just an ‘Option’

With more consumers seeking out online ordering and payment methods, digital channels have gone from being optional to mandatory for restaurants, according to Michael Morgan, vice president of operations at Pizza Guys.

In this month’s Feature Story, Morgan explains how his company has navigated this digital transformation and how Pizza Guys is meeting customer expectations through its ordering and payment options.

Payment and Ordering Options Are Key to Customer Satisfaction

The disruptions caused by the pandemic and the overall growth of technology are transforming the restaurant industry. Although the pandemic has impacted all aspects of the restaurant experience, it has affected the ordering and payment experience in particular. Digital ordering, for example, is now immensely popular, with 57% of consumers preferring to order takeout or delivery through a digital app. In terms of payments, a growing number of consumers prefer a contactless or digital payment method to a physical one. Shifts like these mean that restaurants must embrace digital solutions to meet customer expectations.

This month’s PYMNTS Intelligence explores how a restaurant’s payment and ordering methods are key to customer satisfaction.

About the Tracker

The “ Order To Eat Tracker®,” done in collaboration with Paytronix, examines how the restaurant industry is changing to meet evolving consumer expectations.