With more and more delivery-centric businesses like Papa John's and Domino's creating apps to make it easier to place an order and get food without really ever speaking to anyone, ordering take-out and delivery is obviously changing.
Then when you add in apps like GrubHub, Eat24, and Seamless, which act as a middleman courier for restaurants that don't typically offer delivery, the at-your-fingertips world of ordering your favorite dishes at local restaurants seems to be booming. But do these services effect how you're ordering food more than just the platform you're using?
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In an article by Fast Co Labs, different delivery app providers discuss the main changes they see in delivery and take-out orders placed through online apps. Accessibility through smartphones, computers, and tablets make these apps convenient, and even ideal for phonephobic people who hate making the call to get their food.
One big difference highlighted in the article is add-ons. People are more likely to splurge for a second, third, fourth, or fifth topping if they don't actually have to tell anyone they're doing it. When you order Domino's online through their "Build Your Own Pizza" app, a prompt asks you if you want to add extra cheese before you add toppings. We're pretty sure that temptation is all it takes to convince online orderers to cheesify their pie.
Another change menu app purveyors see is an increase in the amount people order, which also means that they spend more money on these orders. According to the article, one of Eat24's chief marketing officers explained why that happens due to the simple fact that these apps allow users to see the full menu.
"When you go online, you see the whole menu. All of a sudden, people order appetizers, ribs, salads, and stuff they don't normally order over the phone," he says. "They have more time on the menu, they spend more time on the menu, and they order slightly more items than over the phone."
Finally, that exposure to the full menu means users are branching out. Did you know Domino's sells chicken crust pizza now? Well, you might be way more likely to find out that tidbit using an app than just calling in an order. Seems pretty straightforward.
While all of these changes seem like good news for the restaurants, those extra add-ons and spending might not be the best for us as consumers.
