Consumers embracing online food ordering, new survey finds.

San Francisco, CA — A new survey by SurveyTool.com finds that over 47% of consumers prefer to order takeout food online. With only around a quarter of all chain restaurants offering online ordering today, the survey is further proof that online ordering has the potential to be a burgeoning revenue stream for the restaurant owners, despite the industry’s slow adoption of the technology.

Consumers, on the other hand, appear ready to embrace online ordering:

• Out of 277 respondents, 187 (67%) said they have ordered food online; nearly half prefer to order takeout online.
• The most common foods respondents had ordered online: Pizza (88%), Asian food (32%), Chicken Concepts (32%), and Mexican (28%).

“Consumers are clear in their response: online ordering is the next frontier for restaurants,” Zack Martin, marketing associate for SurveyTool.com said. “We’ve found that 92% of respondents were satisfied or very satisfied with their experience ordering online. Restaurants that embrace this technology now have a chance to put themselves significantly ahead of the competition.”

When asked why they chose to order online, respondents noted a number of benefits:

• 59% said they liked being able to view the entire menu as they order
• 57% said it was easier than talking to a live person (no time pressure, no language barriers, etc.)
• 53% said online ordering reduces mistakes with their orders
• 50% said it was faster

Online ordering offers a number of advantages when compared to phone and in-person orders for takeout. Unless you have a menu with you or the restaurant has an up-to-date website, customers ordering by phone must already know what they want. With online ordering, there’s no pressure and you can view the entire menu. Speed is also important: like calling-it-in, online orders let you skip the line but also let you avoid being put on hold.

A large majority of respondents (about 78%) said they would like small, local restaurants in their communities to start accepting online orders. Local hamburger joints were a clear winner with over a third of all respondents stating they thought the classic neighborhood cheeseburger was due for an online reinvention.

Smart phone applications for food ordering like Grubhub, City Mint, and Chipotle are also popular. Over 50% of smart phone users answering the survey said they had at least one mobile food-ordering app.