Technology

Report: Digital did a 'real number' on restaurants last year

Photo: iStock.

June 3, 2021

By now every restaurateur is aware 2020 was restaurant tech's big year, but what many may not fully realize is just how big last year was for restaurants that leaned early and hard on restaurant tech. Paytronix spells that out in its first Order & Delivery Report that looked at the shape of digital ordering in 2020, according to a news release. The report found:

• 313% increase in digital ordering platform sales after the pandemic's U.S. onset.
• 65% growth in orders last May from guests entirely new to ordering from a specific brand in any form.
• 10% more spent per orders by delivery order diners, versus those ordering takeout.

Among the other report findings was the revelation that many brands who fared well through the pandemic have ended up benefiting from the closure of many other restaurants due to the stresses of the same thing because surviving brands were there to take advantage of the ability to earn new customers.

"What we're seeing in the online ordering and delivery market is a complete change in how guests interact with their brands," Paytronix Systems Inc. CEO Andrew Robbins said in the release. "In fact, the pandemic presented brands with an opportunity build stronger guest engagement and then continue by providing a great guest experience. The brands that will succeed in the future are those who can bridge the gap between off-premises order and delivery, and on-premises dining. Those brands will understand how to offer a great band experience, no matter how the guest chooses to interact."

Paytronix is based in Newton, Massachusetts, and provides software-as-a-service customer experience management solutions for restaurants, as well as C-stores.