Delivery and takeaway sales 2% behind December 2021
The tracker showed that managed groups received just over 24% of their total sales from deliveries and takeaways in December
Managed restaurant groups’ delivery and takeaway sales were 2% behind December 2021 levels by the end of 2022, as a 14th month year-on-year decline shows trading has plateaued, according to the CGA.
The figures confirm how lockdowns and the convenience of delivery platforms have transformed the market for restaurants, long after the end of Covid restrictions in Britain, as the tracker showed that managed groups received just over 24% of their total sales from deliveries and takeaways in December.
It also highlighted the “increasing importance” of drinks, which now account for 10% of all at-home orders.
Despite the year-on-year decline, combined sales by December 2022 were still 104% higher than the pre-pandemic December, with deliveries seeing an increase of 238%, while takeaways and click-and-collect orders were 53% ahead.
Karl Chessell, business unit director of hospitality operators and food in EMEA at CGA, 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.”
