In the way people buy and eat food, the world is seeing a big transformation. When sitting at home and watching The Witcher on Netflix, modern customers are more likely to order food such as pizza, pasta, or a vegan salad from a nearby restaurant than they are to cook.
A strong and rising demand for web-based and mobile food delivery apps has been generated by the current emphasis on convenience. Meanwhile, from 1.32 billion in 2014 to 2.05 billion in 2020, the number of people who order food online has increased.
More and more consumers are moving from conventional telephone ordering systems to digital platforms that allow them within one app or website to order a wide range of cuisines from several restaurants. These on-demand delivery services also provide ratings and restaurant reviews and enable clients to pay on their smartphones and tablets with a single tap.
On the surface, for the consumer and restaurant, the principle of online food delivery seems like a win-win, but this seemingly perfect scenario is not without a flaw.
Let's discuss the pros and cons of online food delivery services:
- Pro: Avoid delays due to weather
Harsh weather can be devastating to the bottom line of a restaurant. To escape the elements, consumers stay cooped up inside, and because of the lack of customers, restaurants remain emptier than normal. Even when facing adverse weather, the advent of online food delivery services has enabled restaurants and clients to link. Restaurants can operate a steady company and customers remain well fed. All, apart from the delivery man, remains dry.
- Con: Disconnect and Isolated
Dining at a restaurant, intended to be shared with family and friends, is an enjoyable and delicious experience. When opting to use an online food delivery service, customers miss the restaurant experience and dining engagement. Eating in solitude with only your favorite streaming shows to accompany you (another topic for another blog post) encourages an isolationist mentality, progressively disconnecting you from the outside world.
- Pro: Discover new restaurants & clients
Every day, more restaurants join the ranks of the online food delivery network, enabling clients to choose from a greater variety of foods while ordering. Customers will now explore new restaurants instead of a client being limited to restaurants around their home or one that only draws local people. Connecting restaurants with new customers are one of the industry's greatest advantages and also encourages customers to be a little adventurous and try a new location.
- Con: Ending the Vibe
Was he ever in an empty restaurant? When dining alone or with just a few other clients, it is a peculiar place. The atmosphere forms part of the allure of many restaurants. Customers can grill a steak or cook a pizza at home, but some restaurants give the vibe they love. Any order of online food delivery service equates to one less customer in the restaurant physically dining. Although online ordering can produce equal or higher quantities of revenue, at what point does running a largely empty restaurant start killing the charm of the spot and eating away at the social capital of a restaurant?
- Pro: Healthier options for delivery
Ordering online means more options. Now consumers can order from their favorite local eateries, also healthier choices, and a smorgasbord of delicious culinary choices. Would you like to miss chicken wings and instead order grilled chicken with steamed vegetables? It is feasible. Instead of scarfing down a burger and fries, do they need a salad? Yeah, do it. Even when they choose to forego meal planning or dining out, online food delivery at your home encourages you to stick to healthy eating plans.
- Con: More Expensive
In addition to the expense of the food, clients are usually subject to fees when ordering through an online delivery service. A booking fee, busy area fees, and even a trip to the delivery driver can be included in these fees. Just to have it shipped, is a burrito worth a few extra dollars?
- Pro: Reliability
Customers can order their favorite comfort food from the sofa while bingeing and delivering the new Netflix show to their front door. It sounds great, huh? That's because it is, and the convenience attracts, not just millennials, several different types of consumers. Without turning on the oven, parents with no time to cook can use online food delivery and feed the entire family. The biggest attraction is the ease provided by online food delivery services.
- Con: Waiting Time
It isn't a fast experience to order from online food delivery services. Instead of calling delivery services, clients in need of fast food should generally make the journey to the restaurant themselves. Longer wait times can also be due to traffic, weather, how busy a restaurant is, and the difficulty of a customer's order for online food delivery. Would a customer want to wait for an entire half-hour (or even an hour) just to deliver their food? Customers, if their hunger does not wait, should pick up their food themselves.
Conclusion:
There's a lot to consider if you're considering adding delivery to your list of services. There are pros and cons to all food distribution projects. Because of this, before you decide if it's right for your company, you should analyze them.