Now May Be the Time for QSR Delivery

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Burger King may be on to something with its new delivery option at select locations. A recent survey of restaurant customers in the United States showed that delivery by quick-service restaurants (QSRs) is an idea whose time has come.

The survey by Restaurant DemandTracker asked people who are aware of each of the 20 largest QSR chains what changes each restaurant chain could make that would cause the person to visit or use that restaurant chain more often. Among the top 20 chains, 14 percent said they would order food from Wendy's more if delivery service was available, and 12 percent said the same for McDonald's.

Subway, Church's Chicken, Popeye's and Taco Bell each had 11 percent responding that they would order from the brands more often if delivery was an option, and 8 percent said the same about Burger King.

As CSNews Online previously reported, Burger King Worldwide Inc. has rolled out its BK Delivers program at 75 locations, including select restaurants in Salt Lake City, Boston, New York, Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area.

Drilling into demographics, the survey found that QSR delivery service would be most appealing to customers aged 18 to 34, those who are single and live alone, and lower-income restaurant patrons. Hispanics are also more interested in the concept; one in three of those interested in delivery service are Hispanic, while one in seven of the total population of QSR customers are Hispanic.

"As quick-service restaurant companies consider offering delivery, it's important to understand to which restaurant consumers that service would most appeal. Our research suggests that delivery appeals the most to young, single people living alone who therefore might not be able to justify a very high minimum order size," said David Decker, president of Consumer Edge Insight.

“And Hispanics are especially interested in delivery, likely in part driven by their lower rate of car ownership," he continued. "Any [QSR] considering offering delivery should carefully consider the local market profile of each of their locations to determine which locations might make the most sense, as well as carefully considering the operational challenges of offering delivery."

Restaurant DemandTracker is a syndicated consumer research service from Stamford, Conn.-based Consumer Edge Insight. The service provides an in-depth analysis each quarter of how key economic and secular factors impact restaurant demand and which brands are best-positioned to succeed.

Data for the most recent Restaurant DemandTracker was collected in April via an online survey of more than 3,000 U.S. consumers, aged 18 and older.