Despite all COVID-19's devastation of the hospitality industry, according to a report by Paytronix Systems Inc., U.S. consumers spent a whopping $769B ordering food in 2020, and as a recent article from hospitalitytech.com indicates, guests enrolled in loyalty programs spent twice as much on takeout, reaffirming the vital role of off-premise ordering and guest engagement initiatives in this new digital era of bar and restaurant operations.
Among a number of insightful statistics cited by the article, the Paytronix report also found that 61% (~$264B) of digital food orders made by guests were sent to restaurants that had only offered sit-down dining services prior to the pandemic--a clear indicator of how operators adapted and pivoted into an entirely new revenue model to keep their businesses afloat.
As vaccination efforts increase and gradually move patrons closer towards safely dining at their favorite restaurant tables and drinking from their favorite bar stools, loyalty programs and revenue driven by online ordering, takeout, and delivery will remain a foundational component of smart business within the food and beverage industry.
For a generation of hospitality owners and operators, the suddenness and immediate impact COVID-19’s on their business, along with the very imminent threat of future health crises or shutdowns, will serve as a relentless reminder of how takeout and delivery transformed overnight from an expendable nightly nuisance into a crucial financial lifeline.
By providing bars and restaurants with the ability to engage with guests and maintain contact with their favorite establishments during contactless times, digitized platforms like Jetson allow for convenient, integrated solutions for bars and restaurants looking to maintain the momentum of off-premise ordering brought on by shifting guest behavior, while also offering additional onsite operational solutions that encourage safer steps in a stable and profitable business model.