More than half of the restaurants have got delivery

In the regions, almost two-thirds of catering establishments now have delivery. This indicator is almost on par with Moscow and the Moscow region, whose residents have been actively using this service since the beginning of the pandemic. Now the market in the capital is already oversaturated, while in the regions there is potential for development: another third of the segment companies across the country plan to launch delivery in the next two years. However, this may be hindered by a shortage of couriers, for which retailers are also fighting.

Now in the regions, 61% of catering establishments use food delivery, which is one and a half times more than two years ago, according to a joint study by Data Insight and the Federation of Restaurateurs and Hoteliers (FRiO). Almost a third of restaurants use external delivery services, 17% use couriers themselves, 15% combine both options.

The current situation, as analysts explain, is changing the current trend, when Moscow and the Moscow region were traditionally the leaders in the number of restaurants with delivery. Now, according to Data Insight, in these regions, delivery is used by 62% and 66% of establishments, respectively. At the same time, in St. Petersburg – 64% against 40% two years ago. In cities with a population of over a million, this figure increased from 40% to 61%, in cities with a population of more than 500 thousand people – from 41% to 59%, in settlements with more than 100 thousand inhabitants – from 40% to 60%. Thus, the regions have reduced the gap in terms of delivery penetration with Moscow and the Moscow region.

In the capital, there is fierce competition in delivery from establishments and the market itself is already quite saturated, while in the regions the market is still at the stage of formation and it is much easier to attract a client, Rosinter Restaurants Group notes (IL Patio, Shikari, “Planet Sushi” and others). Gleb Dobroradnykh, head of the Yandex.Food and Master Delivery restaurant division, says that the number of orders in the regions has increased 16 times since 2019, while in St. Petersburg – 5.5 times, in Moscow – 2.5 times. Delivery has become a familiar part of life, first in the capital, and now in the regions, he adds.

During the pandemic, delivery was a survival strategy, but now it is a full-fledged sales channel for restaurants, explains Olga Pashkova, Senior Analyst at Data Insight. Delivery now accounts for a quarter of the total number of orders in catering establishments, she notes. Such a service is especially popular among young consumers, Igor Bukharov, president of the FRIO, notes. For consumers, ordering online is an opportunity to get to know a new establishment, and for restaurants it is an opportunity to attract new loyal guests, he adds.

However, one of the restrictions on development in the delivery regions, not only in the catering market, but also in retail, has already become a shortage of couriers, as Kommersant reported on July 1. If in Moscow it is still possible to make up for the shortage of personnel at the expense of labor migrants, then in regions where there are much fewer of them, it is more difficult to solve the problem, notes Evgeny Nichipuruk, founder of the Rakovaya gastrobar chain. According to Ivan Shestov, Marketing Director of Burger King Russia, the growing popularity of delivery “overheats the labor market” and the indexation of couriers’ salaries is already outpacing the increase in delivery turnover.

In order not to solve the personnel problem with couriers on their own, restaurateurs use the services of aggregators. It is much more difficult for a restaurateur to organize his own delivery service and ensure the flow of orders through his own website or application than to use the services of aggregators, where delivery and accommodation are already included in the commission, the “Hochu Puri” network notes.

Nevertheless, the active distribution of delivery in the restaurant market has not yet ended. About 29% of establishments that do not have delivery at the moment plan to connect it in the next two years, market participants surveyed by FRIO and Data Insight said. However, Ivan Shestov sums up, the growth in the popularity of delivery among consumers will grow only in the event of economic growth, since in a crisis delivery is the first thing consumers refuse.

Daria Andrianova