Panera Bread has aggressively jumped into mobile ordering. (PHOTO: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg)© 2015 Bloomberg Finance LP
On a bitterly cold or snowy winter night, it's understandable that many diners may want to order their dinners delivered.
But a new study of restaurant guests and executives has found that an increasing number of people want another option: the ability to order food in advance via mobile apps, and have it waiting for them when they arrive.
Now, you might say that's the same as takeout, which restaurants have offered for generations.
But instead of calling in an order, and risk being placed on hold or talking to a busy place, pre-ordering via mobile app can be done with a few key strokes. And, it allows for much easier customization than might take place during a conversation.
At the moment, about 20 percent of diners are using a pre-order option, according to a study from BRP and Windstream Enterprise.
But mobile pre-ordering is used by about 32 percent of millennials, the study found. "They are less likely than older generations to dine out and more inclined to order their food for off-site consumption," it said.
Pre-ordering can save money, since many delivery apps charge a fee to bring food to your door. There's often a service charge, too, and the diner is generally expected to tip on top of those costs.
Plus, delivery times can be unpredictable, and food may not be in optimum shape once it arrives.
Getting food at the source saves those fees, and even if the diner tips, it's often only a dollar or two for a single meal, more if the order is larger. And, the diner has the option of where they'd like to eat their meal. They can sit down in the restaurant, take it home or go someplace else.
Pre-order has become a standard feature for some of the country's leading fast casual restaurant brands, including Panera Bread, Shake Shack, and Chipotle, while quick service brands such as McDonald's, Starbucks, Dunkin' and Domino's also have adopted it.
At Panera, for instance, it's possible to order food on a mobile app, walk into the restaurant, collect it from a shelf, and leave, all without speaking to a member of the staff.
Given how quickly the restaurant world is being transformed by digital ordering, it seems a bit surprising that only 26 percent of restaurants surveyed had such mobile point-of-sale technology, according to the study, which included 1,200 diners and 60 restaurant executives.
But 59 percent of restaurants said they plan to add it in the next year.
Beyond that, about 18 percent of restaurants have technology allowing customers to order at the table, like the tablet screens deployed at Applebee's. However, 52 percent said they would add the capability in the next two years.
The digital shift seems all the more urgent when it comes to the role that mobile devices are playing in dining decisions as well as the meal experience itself.
According to the study, 53 percent of millennials say their visits to a restaurant are influenced in some way by digital technology, from being able to search a menu online, to reading reviews, to scrolling through Instagram photos, and posting their own after.
For all diners, the figure is 40 percent.
"The dining journey has radically changed, as have guest expectations of what makes a great dining experience," the report says. "Therefore, embedding full digital dining support – everything from social engagement to guest WiFi to flexible ordering options, and real-time promotions – should be part of every restaurant’s strategic DNA."
https://www.forbes.com/sites/michelinemaynard/2019/01/27/ready-when-i-get-there-mobile-takeout-is-a-rising-restaurant-trend/ 2019-01-27 17:29:00Z
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