1 in 6 Consumers Exclusively Order From Restaurants Digitally

For a small but significant share of restaurant customers, PYMNTS research finds, the entire experience is facilitated through their phones and computers.

By the Numbers

Research from PYMNTS’ new study “Consumer Interest in an Everyday App,” created in collaboration with PayPal, which draws on insights from a survey of more than 3,300 consumers in the United States and Australia, reveals that 17.7% of the U.S. population exclusively purchases food from restaurants using internet-connected devices.

Plus, an additional 26% places restaurant orders both using connected devices and via traditional channels such as inside the restaurant or via phone call.

The Data in Action

Certainly, restaurants are targeting today’s digital consumer.

For instance, restaurant chain Dog Haus, which has 91 locations, is leveraging expertise from the ghost kitchen world to boost its omnichannel performance. On Monday (Aug. 28), virtual restaurant company Kitchen United announced via LinkedIn that its CEO and former CFO Michael Montagano is leaving the company to become the chief executive of the hot dog chain.

Plus, mid-sized fast-casual restaurant Cava is leveraging its digital infrastructure to compete with category giants. The company shared on its recent earnings call — the first one since the chain’s blockbuster initial public offering (IPO) in June — how its revamp of its app, its new digital ordering website, and its in-house microservices platform set the restaurant up for omnichannel success.

“This flexible platform positions us for sustainable growth, and our upfront investment in it will create leverage as we scale,” Cava President and CEO Brett Schulman told analysts. “We believe it’s an in-house digital platform few restaurants our size, much less many larger brands, have.”

Plus, Bloomin’ Brands, parent company of Outback Steakhouse, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and others, spanning nearly 1,500 locations around the world, shared on its latest call that its digital business has been driving incremental sales as no other channel has proven capable of doing.

“Between carry-out and in-restaurant, there’s a lot of overlap,” Bloomin’ Brands CEO David Deno said. “The customer either comes in to eat or does carry out, but in delivery, especially third-party delivery, that’s an incremental occasion, and we’ll continue to invest heavily in that, because that’s a customer opportunity for us.”