ORDER UP:
The Pervasive Culture of
Online Ordering and Delivery
By Christina Cannon
L
ong wait times and busy phone queues may have once been
an issue for the fast-casual diner, but in today’s tech-infused
culture, just a few clicks is all that stands in the way of a hungry
consumer. It seems as though an increasingly large portion of
restaurants’ customer base is ordering from their couch rather
than from inside a booth, and it can be daunting to find a way to
access that part of the market.
Buffalo Wild Wings® is no exception, and in most markets,
there are numerous options for stores to partner with. For Four
M Capital, Grub Hub is the delivery service of choice. The
company has currently teamed up with Grub Hub at eight of its
B-Dubs® locations, and employees note that rates were the main
factor driving that decision. Four M Capital exclusively partners
with Grub Hub but would be interested in picking up other
companies if rates were lower.
“The rates are hard swallow, but the top line sales and new
guests are worth the price,” said Joseph Lichwick, vice president
of operations and development for Four M Capital. “These new
guests will only order from these websites, and if you are not
listed, they will simply order from a competitor. Being on the site
and staying relevant in this arena will give us the exposure needed
to keep us at the forefront of people’s minds when choosing a
dining option.”
For every order, Grub Hub keeps 22 percent – 12 percent
for delivery, a 10 percent marketing fee for being on its website
and an additional 30 cents per transaction. Four M Capital
also looked into Uber Eats and Dashed, but those companies
BY THE NUMBERS
20
• Digital ordering accounts for 3 percent of total restaurant, or
about 1.9 billion visits.
• 50 percent of digital orders are placed at dinner time.
• 35 percent of digital ordering includes parties with kids.
• Families are the heaviest users of digital ordering.
• People under age 35, African-American consumers and those
with higher household incomes are among above-average
users of digital or