Deliveries and takeaways account for a quarter of restaurant sales

Deliveries and takeaways now account for a quarter of sales at Britain's leading restaurant groups, having doubled since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

CGA by Nielsen IQ's new Hospitality at Home Tracker shows sales by value in October 2022 were 97% higher than in October 2019 – the last comparable month before Covid. Takeaway and click-and-collect sales have grown 55%, but deliveries have soared 236% as consumers prioritised the convenience of third-party ordering platforms. 

Deliveries and takeaways accounted for 24% of the total sales of groups contributing to the tracker in October 2022, with eat-in sales making up 76%.

However, the tracker indicates that growth has stalled since the lifting of Covid restrictions. Combined delivery and takeaway sales were down 7% on October 2021 – the 11th consecutive month of the year-on-year decline. 

Karl Chessell, business unit director – hospitality operators and food EMEA at CGA, comments: "Deliveries saved many restaurant businesses during COVID lockdowns, and consumers continue to be attracted by their convenience.

"The plateauing of sales since the end of restrictions is a positive sign that some people have reverted to eating out rather than ordering in over the last 12 months, but it may also reflect increasingly cautious spending as the cost-of-living crisis mounts. Sustaining sales and protecting margins will be major challenges as the squeeze on disposable incomes tightens."

Partners on the tracker include: Azzurri Group, Big Table Group, BrewDog, Burger King UK, Byron, Côte, Dishoom, Five Guys, Gaucho Grill, Honest Burgers, Island Poke, Nando’s, Pizza Express, Pizza Hut UK, Prezzo, Rosa’s Thai, TGI Fridays UK, The Restaurant Group, Tortilla, Wagamama and YO! Sushi.

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