June 1st, 2021, Bhawna Singh
Most urban Indians are unlikely to dine out till the pandemic is over or they are vaccinated
Amid the fresh Covid19 outbreak, YouGov’s latest survey reveals urban Indians prioritize vaccination of staff as much as a safe dining experience when it comes to their comfort of buying food from a restaurant or a QSR chain- either through delivery or dining-in.
Interestingly, these two factors are a higher priority in tier-1 cities of India, some of which are worst affected by the current wave of Covid19.
Many respondents said contactless payment options and provisions for contactless orders (42% and 39%, respectively) would make them feel relaxed buying from a restaurant in the current scenario.
Slightly over a third feel more delivery or take away options would encourage them to buy (35%), and for few partially cooked or semi-cooked meal kits would do the needful (14%).
Only one in seven (14%) are currently not willing to either order or dine out at a restaurant no matter what steps they take.
On being asked about their likeliness to visit a restaurant, it seems urban Indians are in no hurry and most of them would be comfortable going to a restaurant once the pandemic is over or once they are vaccinated. The rising fear levels around contracting the virus could perhaps be the reason for not wanting to step out soon.
In comparison to this, only a few (22%) are likely to dine out once restaurants re-open or the lockdown is lifted. Few others (13%) are unsure of their decision yet.
Among the different age groups, 40+ adults were most likely to say they will dine out once the pandemic is over, but adults between 18-39 years were more likely than them to visit a restaurant upon vaccination.
It seems home-delivery of food has assumed importance during the current phase of lockdown and most urban Indian respondents (58%) are ordering in food at home at least once a week.
When asked about the places they usually order from, two in five people (38%) said they order from restaurants offering healthy menus.
A quarter (25%), however, order from QSR chains such as McDonald’s, KFC, etc). Slightly fewer (19%) order in from fine-dine restaurants. Comparatively, very few prefer to order from home chefs or tiffin services.
When it comes to reasons for ordering in, unsurprisingly boredom of eating home-cooked food is the biggest motivation to order in (62%), followed by the inability to dine out during the pandemic (53%).
Some people order to celebrate special occasions (45%), others order when they don’t have the time to cook (38%) or when domestic help is not available (36%). Some others call for food for its variety (31%), or to avail offers or deals available on ordering (23%). This indicates people are ordering in to seek the taste or experience of restaurant dining more than out of convenience.
Restaurants and delivery chains may want to consider these insights in order to provide a safe dining experience to their customers whilst emphasizing on the safety and wellbeing of their staff and delivery agents.
Data collected online by YouGov Omnibus among 1005 respondents in the country in April 2021 using YouGov’s panel of over 11 million people worldwide. Data is representative of the adult online population in the country.