December delivery and takeaway sales up 127% on 2019

Britain’s restaurant and pub groups recorded a 127% increase in delivery and takeaway sales by value from the levels of December 2019, according to CGA and Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker.

It revealed the spike was due to the Omicron variant discouraging eating out in the run-up to Christmas. This level is a “sharp rise” on the 2021-on-2019 comparison of 97% in November.

It also reported delivery sales were 266% higher than in 2019 – more than five times the growth of 47% in takeaways. Delivery volumes now outstrip takeaways and click and collect orders by “some distance.”

By contrast, the tracker revealed eat-in sales of restaurants and pubs were “badly affected” in December by Covid-19 concerns, indicating a 11% drop in sales for leading managed groups compared to the same period in 2019.

Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director, EMEA, said: “Deliveries and takeaways have been a lifeline for restaurant and pub groups throughout the pandemic, and December’s sales provided another critical boost as eat-in trade dropped away.

“While the rate of growth may slow as 2022 goes on and Covid-19 restrictions ease, it is clear that the rapid rise of third party ordering platforms has helped to cement deliveries in consumers’ habits. Mastering this market without compromising in-restaurant sales is going to be a major priority for all operators in 2022.”