NEW YORK — Online food ordering software services provider Upmenu has published a new report indicating the impact of COVID-19 on online food delivery services.
The research is based on Google trends and their client database illustrates the change in trends across the type of food company, the type of food and the location.
Under type of company, Chick-fil-A which is one of the largest American fast food restaurant chains specializing in chicken sandwiches experienced an increase in the number of online orderings up to 590 percent. It is closely followed by Burger King and Little Caesars Pizza with a percentage of 407 percent and 279 percent, respectively. Other companies such as Pizza Hut and Panera Bread also had a decrease in the number of online orders of up to 5 percent.
The categories of foods ordered by Americans during the pandemic period also increased with American food having an increase of up to 644 percent. Cat food and home food followed closely with 238 percent and 198 percent, respectively. Ethnic foods such as Italian, Mexican, and Japanese foods had an average increase of 172 percent, 154 percent, and 143 percent, respectively.
With the restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19, online food ordering popularity has increased across different cities. New York City is the leading city in terms of online food ordering popularity with an increase of 228 percent, while Cincinnati had an increase of 216 percent. Other cities such as Orlando and Houston had a decrease of 56 percent and 25 percent, respectively.
The increase in popularity of online food ordering can be attributed to the need to minimize human contact to curb the spread of the virus, Upmenu noted, adding that it’s also a seamless process with an increase in the number of online tools and software that create the convenience that a customer needs. The customer can also have access to limitless dining options that they may not be familiar with initially.
For more information, visit www.upmenu.com.
