Along with takeout and pickup, the restaurant industry has turned to delivery as one of its central points of profit during the current coronavirus pandemic. While some types of operations like pizzerias have made a living with delivery for decades, other less-likely segments like fine dining, casual dining, and even quick service restaurants have implemented delivery service, as well.

According to a Technomic Consumer Food Trends report, the shift caused by COVID-19 has pushed restaurants to adapt to off-premise models, and delivery is a critical aspect to execute off-premise service. Over the course of 2020, the frequency of delivery skyrocketed from comprising 22 percent of all restaurant meal service before the impacts of COVID-19 to 33 percent in the periods that followed. This is an increase of 50 percent in just a matter of months.

If you look at the percentages of delivery orders for all types of full-service restaurants, those numbers roughly doubled across all types of operations including fine dining, upscale casual, family style, quick service dining, and traditional casual dining. 

There are challenges to restaurant delivery.

Especially for restaurants that never made delivery a priority, the pivot to delivery has posed many challenges. For one, there's the delivery method itself. Some full service restaurants have actually created in-house delivery platforms and services, while others have relied on existing platforms like DoorDash and Grubhub, which can eat into a restaurant's profit margins.

The other issue is food quality. When it can take upwards of 30 minutes to get food fresh from the kitchen to a customer's front door, that introduces too many ways to lose temperature and integrity of meals. For fine dining and casual dining operations that heavily rely on reputation and quality, the delivery phase can easily impact the dining experience, which is what fine and casual dining is all about.

Food Delivery Solutions from CookTek

Whether you're a restaurant looking to create your own delivery service or you're a delivery service looking to improve the ways deliver, there are technologies available that go beyond the traditional pizza bag. CookTek is leading the way with those solutions.

Using induction technology, the CookTek ThermaCube and the CookTek Pizza Delivery System create precise temperature control for up to 30 minutes. The units heat up in just a few minutes, are cordless, and come in various sizes to optimize the delivery environment for just about any type of menu.

One issue with delivered food is often excess condensation. This is why foods often arrive soggy. with CookTek induction delivery systems, though, units come with a VaporVent lid that eliminates this type of unwanted buildup. When you remove condensation at the same time you circulate hot air around the food, the result is food that retains its desired qualities.

To learn more about making the most of your restaurant's delivery program, let's schedule a meetup to customize your One-on-One Takeout & Delivery Action Plan!