Managed restaurant groups’ delivery and takeaway sales ended 2022 at twice their pre-Covid levels but have continued to plateau, with with December 2022 sales 2% behind December 2021, according to the latest Hospitality at Home Tracker by CGA.
Combined sales in December 2022 were 104% higher than in December 2019, with deliveries up 238% and takeaway and click-and-collect orders up 53%.
Delivery and takeaway sales have plateaued since late 2021, with 2022 sales 2% behind December 2021 – the 14th month in a row of year-on-year decline.
The figures show how the pandemic as well as the convenience of delivery platforms have transformed the market following the end of Covid restrictions, with managed groups seeing over 24% of their total sales from delivery and takeaway in December, according to the tracker.
It also highlights the increasing importance of drinks, which now account for 10% of all at-home orders.
Karl Chessell, CGA director - hospitality operators and food, EMEA, said: “After booming in 2020 and 2021, it was a year of consolidation for the delivery and takeaway sector. A return to eating out and a squeeze on consumer spending both contributed to the plateauing of sales throughout 2022.
“Nevertheless, with nearly a quarter of all sales now coming from at-home orders, COVID has cemented food and drink deliveries in people’s habits. The big challenge for all restaurant groups in 2023 is to protect sales and margins on third-party delivery platforms without compromising eat-in trade.”
