Year on year, the takeaway delivery sector has been growing more than the rest of the foodservice industry. In a 2018 NPD study, results found that the market had grown from £2.4 billion in value a decade prior, to £4.2 billion (representing a 73% increase) in February that year. A report launched by Barclays showed that by July 2018, year end sales were up by 11.5% for the whole of the restaurant and takeaway sector.
Delivery service apps are no doubt the biggest drive in this massive growth. Aggregators such as JUST EAT, Deliveroo and UberEATS have opened more accessible and preferable avenues for food ordering with consumers. Compared to 20 years ago, when consumers would often have to endlessly scour through a phone book or plethora of takeaway menus to assess their quick service options, we can now use mobile applications to obtain a list of suitable food delivery choices almost instantly. As the reach of aggregators continues to broaden, even in more rural areas, the value of the takeaway and QSR market will do so in tandem. This belief has been reaffirmed by NPD, whose aforementioned study also claims that the takeaway delivery market will grow a further 17% in value over the next two years, being worth as much as £5 billion.
So amongst all of the eating options available in the takeaway and QSR market, which are selling best? For 2017, a study conducted by the NPD group showed that Chinese food was the UK’s favourite food for delivery with a massive 179 million servings, with pizza staying close behind with 171 million. Although being in second place, it should be noted that the growth rate for pizza in the takeaway and QSR market has dropped, falling by three points in market share from 2016 to 2017.
Despite the variety of takeaway cuisine available in aggregator apps, chips are steadily making their way into more takeaways than ever, being present in almost 16% of all delivery orders.
Whilst increased demand thanks to aggregator apps have given takeaway and QSR orders a boom, operators should be taking the opportunity to encourage more spending per customers wherever they can. Consumers are usually spending half as much on a delivery order as they would in a restaurant by cutting out drinks, starters and even desserts because they’ll have far cheaper alternatives in their own home, ultimately denting their flow of profits.
Some operators have seen to this with the promotion of minimum spend offers. Promising a free order of prawn crackers when spending £15 or a free order of chicken wings with £25 for example is a lucrative source of encouragement in nudging additional essential income from customers.
For the latest and most effective ranges of wholesale catering equipment and disposables ideal for takeaways, street food and all other quick service restaurants, be sure to visit our online store.
Keeping your pizzas hotter and fresher for longer, our Taste windowed pizza boxes by Huhtamaki give your products prominent visibility. These kraft boxes are even microwaveable and oven-ready, giving your customers the added incentive to buy your pizzas in a larger size and consume any leftovers at a later time.
For consumers who love eating a quick hot snack with some flavour on the go, Colpac have come up with a delectable solution in the kraft carton with dip corner. As well as being recyclable, this practical container features an additional corner with the customer’s favourite sauce, allowing them to enjoy a generous amount of their favourite condiment with a perfect dip of their takeaway chip.
Made from recycled sugar cane, the Gourmet range from Vegware still manages to excel in performance in housing delicious takeout food compared to it’s non-renewable counterparts. Still being microwave and freezer safe, this takeaway range is a wonderful eco-friendly alternative for operators looking to reduce their carbon footprint.
