How Delivery Services are Reshaping the Food Franchise Industry
Restaurant franchises are one of the most popular franchise industries to invest in, and a thriving trend has made its way into the restaurant industry, changing the dynamics for franchise owners.
During the pandemic, food delivery services were at an all-time high, shifting the way consumers ordered food. This included consumers’ preference to use ordering apps over calling the restaurant directly to place an order. With roughly 57% of Americans now
preferring delivery or takeout, this is a trend that won’t be slowing down anytime soon! Let’s take a look at how food delivery services are impacting food franchises.
What Conveniences Are Being Offered for Customers?
Thanks to delivery, consumers can now have just about any meal they want delivered to their doorstep. Getting a restaurant meal is easier than ever, as you don't even have to leave home thanks to delivery services. And with about 60% of U.S. consumers ordering delivery or takeout at least once of week, convenience-focused dining is showing a consistent upward trend.
How Are Restaurant Franchises Adapting to Support Delivery?
The food industry has been able to quickly adapt to all the rapid changes in consumer behavior, and for that reason, it’s likely going to remain successful as customer behavior continues to evolve.
For example, if you walk into just about any franchise restaurant, you will find an area with kiosks dedicated to delivery. Along with this shift, the overall designs of restaurants are changing, with smaller dining areas and larger pickup stations to accommodate the increasing number of deliveries.

With this new technology and layout, food franchises can serve more customers quickly and efficiently and increase their sales without bottlenecking their internal processes.
Costs Vs. Rewards for Supporting Delivery
Franchises often give a portion of sales to delivery services like DoorDash or Grubhub, but this portion is minimal when you consider the potential for an increase in sales. With delivery, you can serve a more extensive customer base and serve customers who don’t enjoy leaving their homes often.
Boosting Sales With Food Delivery Services
Now that food franchises can deliver food right to anyone’s doorstep, people can have the food they want, when they want it, without leaving the comfort of their home. This is also huge for catering to large groups of people.
For instance, offices can now place large deliveries at lunchtime without the hassle of leaving the office. This is a huge revenue-generating opportunity for food franchises.
How to Enhance Customer Service
Customer service is a critical component of every food franchise. With the right delivery service, you can offer online payment options, provide tracking capabilities, and send customers text notifications about the latest update on their order.

Customers’ ordering experiences can also be personalized, with AI-powered suggestions that recommend delivery choices the customer is likely to enjoy based on past orders. This also makes it faster and easier for them to re-order their usual meal. These delivery services are a win-win for both the customer and the franchise.
Food Delivery Services Encourage Business Growth
Delivery services are also a great marketing platform. Customers often use one of the delivery sites, hosted by a third party, to see what restaurants will deliver to their home.

There, they will discover which restaurants are in the area and offer delivery options. This is a great way to reach new customers and to grow your customer base.
The Rise of Ghost Kitchen Franchises
Taking the online delivery movement a step further, ghost kitchens (aka dark kitchens or cloud kitchens) are gaining traction.
A ghost kitchen is digital-only, meaning there is no storefront or dining area whatsoever. Existing restaurants produce food for the online orders, but it is ordered and delivered under the ghost kitchen’s name and exclusively on a food ordering app.
This leads to great opportunities for food franchisees to get their start. Since the food is produced by restaurants and cooking staff that already exist, starting costs are significantly reduced.
Hundred Acre Consulting: Connecting You to the Right Franchise
There is no better time to get into the food franchise industry, with all of the advantages of delivery services. Not sure which food franchise you’re interested in? Not a problem.
There are hundreds of different food franchises out there, and our team at Hundred Acre Consulting is happy to explore all of the opportunities available so that we can find the perfect fit for you.
Owning a franchise is a wonderful career choice. Want to explore the food franchise industry? Let’s talk.































