The restaurant industry is among the most affected sectors in this pandemic. Not only have the lockdowns curtailed dine-in sales, the fear of infection continues to discourage millions from going out and patronizing their favorite restaurants.

According to the European Journal of Social Psychology, it takes 66 days for behaviors to become a habit. Living under the COVID regime for 20 months has left consumers with the habit of consuming restaurant food at home via delivery service. Eating at home is now ingrained in our DNA and home delivery will comprise the bulk of restaurant sales as we move forward. Thus, it is imperative that restaurants have a delivery mechanism and online ordering platform to thrive.

Although there will always be a space for experiential dining within the confines of a restaurants, it will no longer be the principal source of sales for most establishments. Those with enormous dining rooms will have to downsize. Studies further show that for the majority of restaurant types, it is more advantageous to have smaller but more plentiful restaurants in areas where people live and work (for ease in food delivery) rather than bigger restaurants in expensive commercial centers.

With rapidly evolving market conditions, it is important for industry players to understand the emerging trends. As an industry insider, I was fortunate to secure a copy of the Food Trends Report commissioned by a regional (ASEAN) food delivery portal. Let me share the pertinent findings that relate to the Philippine market.

The food delivery sector clocked-in gross revenues of P55 billion last year. One third of all meals consumed by Filipinos were ordered from restaurants while two-thirds were home cooked. Fifty percent of customers decide what they want to eat based on what they see on the app. No surprise, subscriptions to food delivery aggregators, like Grab Food and Food Panda, increased by a whopping 61% over the last year. There is no escaping it — restaurants need to be visible in food aggregator apps given their household penetration.

Although there will always be a space for experiential dining within the confines of a restaurants, it will no longer be the principal source of sales for most establishments. Those with enormous dining rooms will have to downsize. Studies further show that for the majority of restaurant types, it is more advantageous to have smaller but more plentiful restaurants in areas where people live and work (for ease in food delivery) rather than bigger restaurants in expensive commercial centers.

With rapidly evolving market conditions, it is important for industry players to understand the emerging trends. As an industry insider, I was fortunate to secure a copy of the Food Trends Report commissioned by a regional (ASEAN) food delivery portal. Let me share the pertinent findings that relate to the Philippine market.

The food delivery sector clocked-in gross revenues of P55 billion last year. One third of all meals consumed by Filipinos were ordered from restaurants while two-thirds were home cooked. Fifty percent of customers decide what they want to eat based on what they see on the app. No surprise, subscriptions to food delivery aggregators, like Grab Food and Food Panda, increased by a whopping 61% over the last year. There is no escaping it — restaurants need to be visible in food aggregator apps given their household penetration.

Although there will always be a space for experiential dining within the confines of a restaurants, it will no longer be the principal source of sales for most establishments. Those with enormous dining rooms will have to downsize. Studies further show that for the majority of restaurant types, it is more advantageous to have smaller but more plentiful restaurants in areas where people live and work (for ease in food delivery) rather than bigger restaurants in expensive commercial centers.

With rapidly evolving market conditions, it is important for industry players to understand the emerging trends. As an industry insider, I was fortunate to secure a copy of the Food Trends Report commissioned by a regional (ASEAN) food delivery portal. Let me share the pertinent findings that relate to the Philippine market.

The food delivery sector clocked-in gross revenues of P55 billion last year. One third of all meals consumed by Filipinos were ordered from restaurants while two-thirds were home cooked. Fifty percent of customers decide what they want to eat based on what they see on the app. No surprise, subscriptions to food delivery aggregators, like Grab Food and Food Panda, increased by a whopping 61% over the last year. There is no escaping it — restaurants need to be visible in food aggregator apps given their household penetration.

Although there will always be a space for experiential dining within the confines of a restaurants, it will no longer be the principal source of sales for most establishments. Those with enormous dining rooms will have to downsize. Studies further show that for the majority of restaurant types, it is more advantageous to have smaller but more plentiful restaurants in areas where people live and work (for ease in food delivery) rather than bigger restaurants in expensive commercial centers.

With rapidly evolving market conditions, it is important for industry players to understand the emerging trends. As an industry insider, I was fortunate to secure a copy of the Food Trends Report commissioned by a regional (ASEAN) food delivery portal. Let me share the pertinent findings that relate to the Philippine market.

The food delivery sector clocked-in gross revenues of P55 billion last year. One third of all meals consumed by Filipinos were ordered from restaurants while two-thirds were home cooked. Fifty percent of customers decide what they want to eat based on what they see on the app. No surprise, subscriptions to food delivery aggregators, like Grab Food and Food Panda, increased by a whopping 61% over the last year. There is no escaping it — restaurants need to be visible in food aggregator apps given their household penetration.

Although there will always be a space for experiential dining within the confines of a restaurants, it will no longer be the principal source of sales for most establishments. Those with enormous dining rooms will have to downsize. Studies further show that for the majority of restaurant types, it is more advantageous to have smaller but more plentiful restaurants in areas where people live and work (for ease in food delivery) rather than bigger restaurants in expensive commercial centers.

With rapidly evolving market conditions, it is important for industry players to understand the emerging trends. As an industry insider, I was fortunate to secure a copy of the Food Trends Report commissioned by a regional (ASEAN) food delivery portal. Let me share the pertinent findings that relate to the Philippine market.

The food delivery sector clocked-in gross revenues of P55 billion last year. One third of all meals consumed by Filipinos were ordered from restaurants while two-thirds were home cooked. Fifty percent of customers decide what they want to eat based on what they see on the app. No surprise, subscriptions to food delivery aggregators, like Grab Food and Food Panda, increased by a whopping 61% over the last year. There is no escaping it — restaurants need to be visible in food aggregator apps given their household penetration.