Rising prices prop up delivery spend as order frequency reduces

According to the latest Hospitality at Home Tracker, combined sales were 5.9% behind February 2022, as some consumers reduced their spending and others opted to eat out rather than order in.

The 9.9% drop in the value of deliveries was steeper than the 7.6% decline in takeaway and click and collect sales. The volume of delivery orders fell even more sharply, by 13.3% — a reflection of consumers reducing the frequency of their orders but spending more on them because of rising prices.

“After booming during the lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, delivery and takeaway sales have dropped year-on-year in every month of 2022 and 2023,” says Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director - hospitality operators and food, EMEA.

“This is an encouraging sign that consumers have returned eagerly to restaurants since restrictions eased, but it also reflects the still-tightening squeeze on consumers’ discretionary incomes.

“Our research consistently shows that people want to prioritise the affordable treats of restaurant meals, and their spending will hopefully increase when household bills and inflation come down. In the meantime, we can expect more softening in the at-home market.”

Despite the extended decline, delivery and takeaway sales are still well ahead of pre-pandemic levels and accounted for 17p in every pound spent with the top managed restaurant groups in February.