Independent Operators

More than half of consumers order directly from restaurants

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November 15, 2021

More than half, 58%, of U.S. consumers are skipping aggregators when ordering from restaurants.

That is a top finding of a Paytronix study regarding food delivery aggregators, an ordering method some consumers find convenient, but others avoid due to perceived high costs, according to a press release.

The research revealed 17% of consumers who regularly purchase food from restaurants used an aggregator at least once in the last three months.

"Brands today must own their digital ordering channel from start to finish," Paytronix CEO Andrew Robbins said in the press release. "Guests clearly want to work directly with the brands they love, and the more control brands have over the full ordering process, the better and more personalized they can make it. Aggregators play a key role in this ecosystem, but brands need the tools and technologies in place to keep their guests happy and coming back."

Additional findings include:

• Less than one-fifth of restaurant customers used an aggregator to order from their favorite eateries in the last three months. Ordering directly from the restaurant by phone or online remain much more popular options.
• DoorDash and Uber Eats are the most popular aggregators. Door Dash is the most popular, with 58% of aggregator users ordering through the platform at least once in the past 15 months. Uber Eats (46%), Grubhub (37%) and Postmates (20%) round out the top four, with less than 10% for other players.
• Approximately two-thirds of aggregator users select aggregators for convenience. More than one-third believe it is the only way to order delivery from their desired restaurant. Other top reasons also center around convenience; 34% of aggregator users said tthese platforms are the only way to get delivery from the restaurants of their choice, and 32% said ordering this way is faster.
• More than half of restaurant customers who do not use aggregators point to the fees and menu mark-ups added by aggregators as a reason they go directly to restaurants. Those that use aggregators are less concerned about the cost factor.