How Long Will It Take Consumers To Again Eat In Restaurants?

How Long Will It Take Consumers To Again Eat In Restaurants?

by , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, May 4, 2020

How Long Will It Take Consumers To Again Eat In Restaurants? | DeviceDaily.com

While the bond between people and food will never change, the relationship between restaurants and people have. For restaurants, the pandemic has created some interesting business models and an interesting dichotomy. 

Some states have begun to relax guidelines. For example, Lincoln County, Wyoming, Health Officer Dr. G. Christopher Krell, working with the Wyoming Department of Health and Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer, approved a variance specific to restaurants on Monday . The variance allows restaurants to open with specific guidelines. The health department has reported nine cases, all recovered in the county. The county reported a population of 19,400 in 2018. 

In their analysis of behavior, CivicScience wanted to determine the difference in behavior between those who use food delivery apps and those who do not. Between April 13, 2020 and April 30, 2020, the company asked 15,392 U.S. consumers about their thoughts.

The data shows that 23% of U.S. adults use food delivery apps. That number is up just 1% from this time two weeks ago, with Gen Zs leading the trend.

How long it will take for survey participants to feel comfortable going out to eat depends on whether or not they use a food delivery app. Some 60% of consumers using food delivery apps said they will feel comfortable in between two and five months, while 20% said they will feel comfortable in six months or longer, and 20% said under a month. For non-users of delivery apps, the percentages were 54%, 24%, and 22%, respectively.   

Most people who use the apps are likely to be working during the pandemic. Only 15% report they have reduced pay or are not working at all. Non-food-delivery users show a much greater likelihood of getting paid less or not working — more than double the likelihood for those who have their food delivered. This suggests financial flexibility could be impacting delivery usage.

Using a food delivery app also correlates to those who like to shop online. Those who turn to delivery apps also shop online at a significantly higher rate.

CivicScience surfaced this data between April 1, and April 30, 2020.

Among the 3,168 consumers surveyed, 42% of consumers using food delivery apps said they also shop online for items, excluding groceries. Some 42% of those who use the apps are now shopping online more, while 37% said they shop about the same and 22% said they shop less. About 23% of non-app users said they are shopping online more, while 50% said they shop about the same and 23% said they shop less.

How long it will take for consumers to become comfortable shopping in stores also depends on whether or not they use a food delivery app. Users of apps at 28% said it will take under a month, while 57% said it will take between two and five months and 15% said it will take six months or more. Non-app users at 33% said it will take under a month, while 52% said it will take two to five months and 15% said six months or more.

MediaPost.com: Search Marketing Daily

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