New data from a pair of companies shows off-premise sales remain the name of the game in quick-service today, though consumers are increasingly displeased with the delivery service they're receiving through third-party providers though they're holding restaurants to blame.
Black Box Financial Intelligence said its data shows that for the week that ended
Limited-service brands continued to perform far better than other more service-heavy categories, with comp sales down just 6.5% from the same week last year, compared to a drop of 40% for the total restaurant sector, according to Black Box data. The company said the data shows that QSRs have also started seeing significant positive growth in sales year over year, with the category now posting two consecutive weeks of positive comp sales.
Quick-service is also leading all sectors for dine-in comp sales for the week that ended
But the main takeaway from the findings relayed by Black Box is that off-premise remains the lifeline for all categories. This holds especially true for QSR brands which recorded comp sales for off-premise — including delivery, drive-thru and to-go orders — up 31% for the category year-over-year.
However, in states that have opened to dine-in again, average to-go comp sales are slowing. Average to-go comp sales for these states were up 192% year-over-year for the week ending
Delivery: The thing diners love to hate
The data clearly shows that QSR customers now are hard-wired into restaurant delivery as the means of getting their favorite brand "fix." In fact, a recent survey by food ordering and delivery optimization company,
"Restaurants are, again, in a unique position to exceed customer expectations. And technology can help," Dragontail Systems CEO
But the
Consumers also expect delivery personnel to wear all the protective equipment they can. In fact, nearly 70% of respondents said food delivered by those who weren't using protective gear has deterred or would deter them from ordering from the same restaurant again.
Additionally, customers reported lots of complaints, particularly those revolving around incorrect or incomplete orders that weren't delivered on time or at the correct serving temperature. Since more than 80% of those polled reported using third-party delivery as much or more than they did before the pandemic, it's clear that this is a vital customer experience issue for QSRs.
The cost of delivery is also increasingly a factor with more than a quarter (27%) reporting that expense is their greatest deterrent to ordering delivered meals. The survey also found a considerable percentage (42%) of consumers expressed a lack of confidence in restaurant sanitation and even less confidence about COVID-19 exposure when using delivery services.
"There is a need for restaurants to ensure that they are providing the best service to their customers, including their delivery workers that are on the front lines," Levanon said. "Being able to provide a seamless, transparent, in-house customer experience that doesn't eat into profits is how restaurants are going to stay afloat."
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