There were other takeout experiments too, such as cook-at-home kits that addressed some of the concerns about food not faring well in transit. I had friends texting me to see if I could save them some,” co-owner Shaun Layton recalls. “We had lineups for them, because they were very Instagram-popular. So they did something completely off-brand: “smash burgers,” pressed patties cooked on a flat-top grill that were perfect for takeaway, and helped keep the restaurant connected to its customers during the restrictions. Much of the Spanish cuisine at the Vancouver restaurant – such as fried foods and high-quality seafood – would not travel well in a box, and they had never done delivery or to-go orders in the past.īut last spring, when indoor dining restrictions went into effect, Como’s patio was too small to serve enough people to make ends meet. “It was, ‘How do we lose less money?’ ”Īccording to Restaurants Canada’s surveys, only about half of restaurants who started doing takeout during the pandemic are planning to continue.Ī post shared by ❼óMO? Taperia Como Taperia’s case, takeout was a tough sell to begin with. “It never was a value proposition,” he said. Many restaurants reluctantly offered takeout as a way to connect with customers during the pandemic, but didn’t find it was sustainable in the long term. This is a common occurrence, said James Rilett, a vice-president at industry group Restaurants Canada. “We are putting out a high-end product and we’re also trying to provide a really special experience to the people that are within our four walls,” she said. And beyond that, the restaurant just doesn’t have enough staff in the kitchen and front-of-house to handle many more orders each night. Wall said there is nowhere to do takeout without altering the vibe in the dining room. A big reason is logistics: The Walls’ 60-seat restaurant is open concept and small. But now that restrictions on indoor dining have ended in Ontario, Supply and Demand is taking a break from takeout. Takeout orders provided them some much needed revenue during lockdowns. After staying closed during the first weeks of the pandemic, they began offering fixed menus for pick-up: kale salad, Parker House dinner rolls, handmade pasta dishes that changed each week and dessert. But takeout was never a focus.ĬOVID-19 changed that. Occasionally a regular would call, asking for a favourite dish, such as the squid rigatoni, to go. When Jen and Steve Wall opened Supply and Demand in Ottawa nine years ago, they wanted to create a neighbourhood spot that would draw people through the doors – and into seats. Others are building cost-efficient ghost kitchens, locations that only prepare takeout, to keep costs to a bare minimum.Īs the industry looks to the future, restaurant owners are figuring out how to meet customers’ expectations – without tech companies eating their lunch. That means controlling the delivery process themselves, or abandoning delivery options altogether. So restaurants are now taking matters into their own hands. Even when customers pick up orders themselves, many kitchens can’t keep up with serving both in-person diners and those ordering from home. Restaurants already work with slim profit margins and cannot always absorb the high cost of third-party delivery apps, whose commissions can gobble up to 30 per cent of every order. Even as restrictions ease and in-person dining resumes, demand is expected to remain higher than it was before the pandemic.īut many restaurants have struggled to make money on takeout, and the shift has not been financially sustainable. Digital orders have increased by 155 per cent in the past two years, according to data released last month by research firm the NPD Group.Ĭustomers have gotten used to the convenience of delivery, and options have proliferated. The startup is just one example of how restaurant owners have been forced to adapt fast amid soaring demand for takeout and delivery. Brandon Grossutti is co-owner of Pidgin restaurant and co-founder of FromTo.
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