When our service centers are open, or if you are a quick-serve restaurant, it might be that order in advance and pick up outside of the restaurant.

The top two apps came from quick-service restaurants (QSRs): Tim Hortons was No. 1, followed by McDonald’s Canada. Canada’s food delivery sales outpace those of the US, UK, and Australia. According to Edison Research, Canada’s food delivery platform sales soared sevenfold over the three-year period ending in Q2 2021.

Of the company's 200 new restaurants in 2021, 70% will have Chipotlanes. During Q2 itself, 45 of its 56 new restaurants included a Chipotlane, and the company’s Q2 digital sales increased 10.5% versus last year, accounting for 48.5% of all sales. Chipotle launched its first Digital Kitchen last year, offering pickup and delivery exclusively—the prototype has no dining room or front service line.

Advertising is another revenue driver, with convenience players like 7-Eleven and quick-service restaurants like Subway paying to advertise on food delivery apps. Ordering groceries online has become more popular since the beginning of the pandemic.

Food delivery apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and SkipTheDishes—a Winnipeg-based homegrown competitor to the US-based services—had already established a foothold before the pandemic. The greater need for delivery last year elevated their influence in food service, even though the fees they charge have raised concerns in the restaurant industry and for regulators.

Ipsos tracking of the food service sector includes delivery (including the food delivery apps and delivery run by FSRs and QSRs, like pizza delivery), takeout, drive-thru, and dine-in.

Restaurants Canada. Triton Digital. TVO.

US digital sales of food and beverages from restaurants soared 123.8% last year, per eMarketer estimates. This massive increase was the result of more consumers using delivery services like DoorDash, Uber Eats, and Grubhub amid lockdowns and restaurant closures.

Location data has become a valuable resource for restaurants looking to target potential customers in specific areas. This data can provide analytics and attribution for marketing strategies, with opportunities to drive performance on a more granular level, including specific times where restaurant traffic is at a lull.

Other service sector categories to be affected by dropped spending include fitness and wellness (67%), pet care (51%) and quick-service restaurants (55%). Quick-service drive-thrus were being used more frequently by 19% of the McKinsey respondents.