It's been a tough 12 months in the restaurant industry, to say the least, but there are some serious signs of positive things to come.

For starters, there's a high volume of pent-up consumer demand as it pertains to restaurants. A brief glance of the many surveys that are out there show "returning to restaurants and bars" at the top of the list of things people want to do once the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic begin to subside. There's no doubt we're looking to be social and to meet our friends and family in public again. This will be an important boost for the restaurant industry.

There's also the rise of off-premise dining. As in-person dining was restricted across the Southeast and across the country, the last year saw a major pivot toward takeout, pickup, and delivery.

According to Technomic, delivery accounted for 22 percent of foodservice orders prior to COVID-19, with carryout and drive-thru comprising 48 percent of all orders. In the months after the impacts of the coronavirus were felt, those numbers rose to 33 percent and 67 percent respectively. That's a 50 percent increase in delivery and a nearly 40 percent increase in takeout.

Solutions to Improve Your Takeout and Delivery Foodservice

Here at PMR, we've stayed on top of these trends in order to better assist our customers and potential customers. We understand the challenges behind takeout and delivery programs, and we've selected a range of manufacturers that can help solve them.

As part of our commitment to our customers, we've created free, one-on-one Delivery and Takeout Strategy Sessions that can help restaurants realize increased profits. All the trends point to an increased presence of takeout and delivery even after the pandemic subsides, and we're here to help you make the most of those trends.