What is the Best Takeout Food & Delivery Equipment?

The last two years have served as the golden age of takeout and delivery. Though it was wildly popular before, the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic created an exponential demand for off-premise dining, and now that consumers are accustomed to those conveniences, they’re not going away any time soon. Before we get into the basics of restaurant pick-up and delivery equipment, it’s important to understand just how popular off-premise dining has been in recent years.

According to Toast, 10 percent of restaurant guests reported ordering delivery significantly more now compared to pre-Covid. Consider some of the food delivery statistics they report for 2022:

• • For takeout orders, consumers list food quality as their top concern.
  • Guests want an easy takeout experience, citing ease of ordering and ease of pickup in their top five most important factors.
  • For delivery, food quality is also the most important benefit, with more than 65 percent of consumers reporting quality as the top metric.
  • The most popular takeout food is chicken, with Chinese food coming in second.
  • Online food orders are expected to increase by 12.2 percent in 2022.
  • Six out of 10 adults report that food delivery is more important now as compared to pre-Covid, with Millennials coming in even higher at 71 percent.
  • Looking for growth? More than 185 million people are expected to use online food delivery services by 2025.

Off-Premise Dining Requires The Right Pick-Up Or Delivery Equipment

Pick-Up Lockers:

While food quality, cleanliness and safety should be top overall priorities, a close second is the ordering and pickup experience. Guests reported that ease of ordering and speed were top of mind. The ease of pickup is an area that continues to grow, as guests want less human interaction and a quicker pickup process.

With solutions like the Carter-Hoffmann Pick-Up Cabinet, or PUC, consumers can pick up their food with touchless capabilities that are quick, efficient, and safe. Integrate with your POS system or mobile app to create a seamless pickup experience all while keeping food hot and ready to serve.

Heated Holding Equipment:

A major disappointment when picking up or having food delivered is receiving it at the incorrect temperature. Nothing can ruin the customer experience more than lukewarm food. The solution? Warming equipment that holds at the right temperature, while still maintaining quality.

To keep food hot in the back-of-house before pickup or delivery, using equipment that doesn’t dry out food while maintaining its temperature is important. Not only for customer satisfaction but also for food safety. For restaurants that have more space and a higher output, Carter-Hoffmann heated holding cabinets offer large capacity options perfect for holding pans or catered meals to be picked up.

Perfect for smaller quantities, warming drawers and countertop warmers are also great options. Both increase holding times by hours without impacting appearance or taste, and are perfect for restaurants with less space.

Delivery Warmers:

Many of us think about food delivery and immediately think of leather pizza delivery bags that would leave food cold and soggy upon arrival. With food quality being the most important thing to customers, it’s critical that food for delivery maintains a fresh, right-out-of-the-kitchen quality.

For the highest level of heat control for delivery, CookTek ThermaCube provides induction heated delivery for up to 30 minutes. It also controls humidity to keep condensation from ruining meals, ensuring food is never soggy or cold.

Discover the future of take-out and delivery with the latest technology.