SPECIAL REPORT
WANT TO IMPROVE YOUR DELIVERY BUSINESS? DON’T FORGET THE SAUCE, AND TOSS IN A LITTLE EXTRA When working with third-party delivery apps, restaurants should focus on what they can control, namely order accuracy and a personal touch, according to a new secret shopper study.
SPEED OF SERVICE IS THE BIGGEST DETERMINAN ILLUSTRATION BY NICO HEINS/FIREFLY
T
here’s a lot that can go wrong with a third-party delivery order. The driver might show up late to the restaurant, or get stuck in traffic en route to the customer. The food could arrive spilled or soggy or lukewarm. And god forbid the driver sneaks a couple fries along the way. Common issues like these can make or break the experience for the customer. A new secret shopper study from researcher Intouch Insight found that delivery speed is the biggest determinant of customer satisfaction. Speed is closely linked to food temperature, which was also an important factor for satisfaction. The study, which was conducted exclusively for Restaurant Business and sister publication Nation’s Restaurant News, analyzed more than 300 restaurant delivery transactions on both third-party and first-party apps. Customers who said they were happy with the speed of their delivery rated their overall satisfaction 55 percentage points higher than those who were not, according to the study. And customers whose food arrived at the correct temperature were 42 percentage points more satisfied overall. Third-party delivery has become a must-have for many restaurants due to its ability to reach more customers. Demand for delivery has continued to grow even as restaurants in general struggle to generate traffic. But it can present a host of issues that operators have little to no control over. Both delivery speed and food temperature suffered in this year’s study compared to last year. Satisfaction with speed of service fell 3 points, to 91%, and food temperature declined 5
JOE GUSZKOWSKI
JOSEPH.GUSZKOWSKI@INFORMA.COM
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RESTAURANT BUSINESS OCTOBER 2025
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