3. Off-premise proliferation
More consumer dining occasions will happen outside of the brand or restaurant, said Monnette. The on-demand mentality means drive-thru, grab-and-go, catering, delivery, takeout and ghost restaurants will continue to grow as convenience needs proliferate and evolve. The technology, too, will continue to inform developments in off-premise, often optimizing the commute to and from work for many. Right now, mobile ordering is growing to be an expectation, though even more seamless technologies such as Amazon Go’s expanding frictionless service are becoming slightly more widespread (Amazon Go is opening its second and third locations in Chicago and San Francisco this year). “New service options will impact consumers’ expectations everywhere,” said Monnette. “They won’t stop using restaurants; they just might not want to sit in them.”
Third-party delivery, specifically, has been on a steep acceptance curve. Between January and April 2018, sales from the top four companies tracked by Technomic’s Transaction Insights—Grubhub Seamless, DoorDash, Postmates and Uber Eats—brought in $2.2 billion. And third-party is growing fast—59.6%, said Monnette— with high retention rates, too.