The Data Point: 31% of Restaurants Do at Least Half Their Business Online

Few sectors digitized on the double time as restaurants, ushering in contactless ordering and delivery, QR code scanning of menus and a host of digital firsts starting early in the pandemic.

For The Restaurant Readiness Index 2022 Edition, a PYMNTS and Paytronix collaboration, we look at the ongoing movement of on premises dining, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and other eateries to gauge the current state of progress as COVID-19 fears get dialed down in the harsh winds of inflation and possible recession.

Surveying over 500 restaurant managers, we looked at the state of digital transformation in this important sector, finding a mix of optimism and uncertainty as the industry deals with new issues.

Get the study: The Restaurant Readiness Index 2022 Edition

31% of those surveyed are essentially “digital-powered restaurants,” generating 50% or more of total sales through digital channels

As the digital shift continues, some restaurants have pulled far ahead of others in terms of these experiences, and it shows in the bottom line.

“Our research determined that a majority of restaurants generate substantial shares of their revenue through digital sales,” per the study, with 31% of those surveyed classified as digital-powered restaurants “which generate 50% or more of total sales through digital channels, and 22% were moderately digital, which generate between 25% and 50% of sales from digital channels. On average, restaurants in these categories derive 63% and 33% of their sales, respectively, from digital channels.”

In Q2 2022 restaurants reduced the number of mobile app, website and aggregator ordering channels they offered — 7%, 11% and 13%, respectively

With the amount of digital transformation seen in the restaurant sector high throughout the pandemic, the latest survey finds dining establishments dialing back a bit on these investments for a variety of reasons.

Restaurants surveyed for this report fell 12% in digital readiness compared to September 2021, with the most notable drops in ordering channels offered, with mobile apps (7%), website (11%) and aggregator ordering (13%) coming in below their most recent Index scores.

See it now: The Restaurant Readiness Index 2022 Edition