Headlines about the restaurant industry last year were filled with gloom. Stories about inflation, wage pressures, consumer dissatisfaction. Things seemed bleak. But a new survey from TouchBistro shows consumers in 2025 are feeling better about restaurants, especially when they order takeout and delivery.
The demand for takeout and delivery has slightly outpaced the demand for dining in, with 28 percent of consumers reporting that they are ordering takeout and delivery more frequently than last year, according to TouchBistro’s 2025 American Diner Trends Report.
DoorDash claimed the title of most popular delivery platform: 73 percent of diners reported using it, with 56 percent using Uber Eats, and 34 percent using Grubhub.
Of course it helps to have disposable income to make these orders. Households making less than $50,000 ordered takeout and delivery far less frequently than their wealthier peers. Yet even those in the lower-income strata still order a lot: more than one in three do it at least once a week.
The perception that young consumers order takeout and delivery at a higher percentage than other age brackets holds true in these results. In fact, 50 percent of Gen Z said they plan to do it more this year than in 2024.
Last year also brought a raft of stories about tipping, with some consumers reporting frustration. But 64 percent of diners in this survey said their tipping habits for delivery and takeout haven’t changed. And some are still happy to do it at a generous clip, with 12 percent saying they tip 20 percent or more on take-out and delivery.
“Resilience stands out as the defining characteristic of this year’s 2025 Diner Trends Report,” said Samir Zabaneh, chairman and CEO of TouchBistro, in a statement. “While current economic conditions have a clear effect on dining habits, consumers are demonstrating remarkable adaptability, strategically allocating their spending based on what matters most to them — be it exceptional experiences, convenient access or maximizing value.”
