Delivery and takeaway sales still booming for pub and restaurant groups

Delivery and takeaway sales at managed pub and restaurant groups were almost treble their pre-pandemic levels in August.

That’s according to the latest CGA & Slerp Hospitality at Home Tracker, which collects sales data from 18 companies, including Byron, PizzaExpress, Wagamama and the Peach Pub Company.

Sales were 176% higher than in August 2019 and 70% above August 2020, when the industry was trading under coronavirus restrictions.

The tracker shows that growth in delivery sales in 2021 compared to 2020 was five times higher than that of takeaways, with people continuing to order at home. Drinks accounted for 10% of all order sales in August.

The figures confirm a strong August trading for hospitality groups after the separate Coffer CGA Business Tracker, complied using a different set of company data, revealed managed restaurant, pub and bar sales grew 5% last month compared to August 2019.

“Deliveries and takeaways were a big factor in group trading in August, and while their share of sales has dropped since the return of eating out, it’s clear they remain a powerful part of the sales mix,” said Karl Chessell, CGA’s business unit director, hospitality operators and food EMEA.

“Lingering safety concerns about going out and large numbers of people staying close to home for holidays will both have boosted the market in the short-term. In the longer run, the convenience and quality of deliveries that people experienced during the pandemic has helped to build a substantial new market that is here to stay.”