With the closure of restaurants during periods of confinement due to the management of the health crisis, the delivery of meals “has quite naturally been invited into the daily life of the French to stay there”, since “the trend remains dynamic” on the three first months of the year, notes the market research specialist on Tuesday.
“A real social phenomenon, delivery represents 318 million visits to commercial catering – excluding canteens – in 2021, or 8% of the total market”, details NPD Group.
The average ticket increased on average last year by 5% to 10% to 7.80 euros compared to 2019, due to inflation, but also because the offer has widened to less inexpensive products than pizza: burgers and exotic dishes (poke bowls, tacos…).
Thus the pizza, which appeared in one out of four orders in 2019, is now only ordered once out of ten, two years later, while the burger “appears in one out of three orders in 2021”.
And the “development of dark kitchens (kitchens dedicated to the preparation of meals for delivery), more numerous and closer, reduces the preparation time, because orders are made exclusively online”, observes NPD Group, noting that ” fast food remains the majority” and still concentrates “two thirds of orders”.
“Time remains a determining element for delivery operators. Now, artificial intelligence plays a key role, optimizing order flows and integrating data such as road traffic, profile and user expectations”, comments NPD expert Maria Bertoch.
“Out-of-home” commercial catering includes table service catering (cafés, bars, brasseries, cafeterias), fast food (fast food, take-out/delivered sales, sandwich shops, bakeries, caterers), catering in transport and leisure (museums, train stations…) but also businesses, and vending machines.
In 2019, the sector represented 57 billion euros in turnover in France, but last year expenses were still down 35% compared to the pre-health crisis.
