CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Many restaurants are still working to bounce back from the pandemic.
What You Need To Know
- Many restaurants are still working to bounce back from the pandemic
- Staffing shortages and food costs still plague the industry
- The National Restaurant Association 2023 State of the Industry Report found 60% of full-service operators say online food delivery represents a bigger share of sales than in 2019
The National Restaurant Association says the industry will likely never return to its pre-pandemic state. Staffing shortages and food costs still plague the industry.
Online ordering saved many restaurants during the pandemic and moving forward, many are still relying on it.
The National Restaurant Association 2023 State of the Industry Report found 60% of full-service operators say online food delivery represents a bigger share of sales than in 2019.
As some payment service systems add a processing fee that customers have to front, restaurateurs say with online ordering being one of the main things carrying restaurants, it could hurt them.
"You know, if someone were to come onto our website and see a service fee and a delivery fee and all the little fees that add up, it would really deter them maybe from wanting to order from us,” said Jill Vande Woude, CEO of Restaurant Constance in Charlotte.
She says they use the system Spot On, which doesn’t add this fee.
"So to be able to keep our costs lower, again, having our own delivery drivers and not having all those extra fees, hopefully it will be, you know, make us more appealing for people to want to order from us going forward,” she said.
While many expected online ordering to phase out after the pandemic peak, client data from Spot On shows an increase in online order processing volume this year.