Nearly 60% of diners expect to order more online in 2022 with 3x more planning to order directly from restaurants versus third-party apps

BentoBox, a website, e-commerce, and marketing platform for over 8,000 restaurant concepts worldwide, today released the fourth and final installment of its Restaurant Delivery Consumer Trend Report, as part of a year-long study tracking how U.S. consumers’ delivery and takeout habits have evolved through COVID-19 recovery.

Powered by Suzy Insights, BentoBox’s Q4 survey gathered insight from 1,013 diners aged 18+, who dined out at least once a week prior to the pandemic. The report showed that as pandemic restrictions changed throughout 2021, so too did online ordering habits. Despite continued challenges for the restaurant industry, diners remain eager to show support for local restaurants in the year ahead.

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Three Key Takeaways:

1. Delivery and takeout habits fluctuate throughout 2021, but diners plan to order more in 2022:
   
   
   • In Q4 2021, 79% of diners ordered at least once per week. This figure is up from Q3 (76%), but down from the first half of 2021 (85%) as more diners returned to dining in-person at restaurants in the summer months.
   • Nearly 60% of diners expect to order more online in 2022. Of those diners, 42% plan to order somewhat or significantly more directly from restaurants, 3x more than those who plan to order more from third-party apps (14%).
   • Most diners prefer to order takeout and delivery on the weekends. Friday is the most popular day for takeout and delivery orders (68% of diners) followed by Saturday (56%), Sunday (31%), and Wednesday (23%)
2. Diners expect to maintain current dining habits regardless of restaurants requiring proof of vaccination:
   
   
   • Despite more restaurants and local governments requiring vaccinations to eat in restaurants, 54% of diners plan to maintain their current dining habits.
   • Notably, 1 in 4 (26%) plan to order more delivery and takeout in 2022. By comparison, only 10% of diners say they plan to dine in more often due to proof of vaccination requirements.
   • The youngest diners surveyed (18-24) are the least likely to maintain their current dining habits. 34% of respondents in the 18-24 age group are likely to order more takeout – more than any group. Leading into 2022, securing a younger age demographic could be crucial to establishing diner loyalty.
3. Diners acknowledge restaurants will continue to face challenges ahead and plan to show support via direct ordering:

• • 84% of diners surveyed agree that restaurants will continue to have a challenging time doing business.
  • While BentoBox observed an 80% decrease in direct restaurant support from Q1 to Q3 2021, diner support is shifting from donations to direct ordering, evident by the 45% of diners who order directly from restaurants to support their businesses.
  • Other top considerations for diners to order directly from restaurants include ease (42%), promotions or discounts (34%), and lowest fees (32%)
  • Notably, in Q4 2021, diners were significantly less motivated to order from restaurants based on promotions. Just 34% marked promotion and discounts as their leading driver for orders, compared with 44% in Q3.

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