A Love Letter to Restaurants: Why Delivery Will Never Replace Dining Out

When COVID-19 struck in 2020, it posed restaurants across the world with two choices: adapt or perish. As the global pandemic sent seismic shockwaves throughout the hospitality industry, businesses had to think quickly, and reimagining their business models was the first step.

?The no-brainer response was for restaurants to start takeaway and delivery services. From casual hole-in-the-wall joints to Michelin starred eateries, every type of restaurant got in on the home delivery action in order to survive. It’s a strategy that’s worked. In Dubai, one in three restaurants are now running at 60%+ revenue because they adopted food delivery services.?

For a while, eating in has been the new eating out. But, as the world reopens, the thrill of dining out returns. Sorry delivery peeps, but you can never replace the buzz of restaurant dining.?

From communal bonding to savouring a multi-sensory experience, here we explore the meaningful ways that restaurant dining trumps home delivery.

Communal Culinary Joy?

Consider the table. Since the dawn of time man has congregated together around one to eat. It’s a place around which relationships are formed, bonds are strengthened, and the world is put to rights. Emotional connections are made (and ended!) here and there is no place better to do this than in a restaurant.

From seductive, after dark first dates to lunchtime business negotiations, the restaurant is the stage upon which these relationship-heightening scenarios are played out. A neutral territory, restaurants have been shaping social relations for centuries.

When it comes to family time, dining at home is often a rushed experience before flopping in front of Netflix. Eating out in a restaurant together offers a slower, more prolonged affair with everyone able to focus on each other, away from household distractions.

If in doubt, eating well together is literally proven to be good for you. A 2017 study in partnership with the University of Oxford and The Big Lunch initiative confirmed that the more often people eat with others, the more likely they are to feel happy and satisfied with their lives.?

?Restaurant dining is a multi-sensory experience

From the décor to the mood and ambience, eating out is far much more than the sum of its culinary parts. It’s a holistic experience that captivates every sense - not just taste. That uplifting laugh of your neighbouring co-diners, the smile and warmth of your wating team all align in harmony to create an unforgettable dining-out atmosphere.

Whether you crave the glamour and theatre of an elegant, fine dining restaurant, or the frenetic clatter of an open-kitchen, restaurant dining is about escapism, and immersing yourself in another world for a few hours. Of course, sharing that Insta-worthy dinner is another way to relish it. ???????????

Restaurant dining is a soul-nourishing, multi-sensory experience that no takeaway can ever match. And no washing up! What’s not to love?

Savouring food the way it was intended to be

That sushi platter tastes so much better moments after it’s been precision-sliced by the chef, rather than sitting in a tray on the back of a bike for 20 minutes.

Food that’s been created with love and attention in a restaurant kitchen should be eaten as quickly as possible after it’s been prepared. The visual flair of the plating arrangement - enjoyed. The temperature - as it should be, and the texture not limp or soggy.?

One food delivery service survey showed that 17% of participants were consistently irritated about food arriving cold or not fresh, with another 16% complaining that their food was delivered late.

There’s a reason “restaurant quality food” is used in delivery service marketing purposes. Quite simply – because that food belongs in a restaurant and is best consumed there.

Future optimism

As we’ve explored, when it comes to eating out vs eating in, eating out wins without a doubt. And for Dubai’s restaurants, the future looks positive. POSist’s recent PRIME study reveals that 75% of restaurant operators are optimistic about high revenues in 2021, with 42% investing in opening restaurants in new locations?

With revived fortunes for the hospitality industry, the trend of eating out again will resume. Thanks to the introduction of hand-sanitizing stations and socially-distanced tables, restaurants complying to COVID regulations to make their guests feel safe. Indeed, Morning Consult’s recent survey revealed that 71% of adults feel comfortable eating outdoors again at a restaurant, while 60% say they feel OK eating indoors.

So, let’s raise a toast to restaurants. Digitization makes it easy for our favourite dishes to be zipping its way to us in just a few taps, but communion around food is that vital cornerstone of families, religion and relationships that must be protected, savoured and celebrated.