Spend time in the restaurant journalism ecosphere and you will still find the occasional skeptic about off-premises operations. Those sales can’t continue to grow, can they?
The results from the 2025 Off-Premises Restaurant Trends Report by the National Restaurant Association indicate an answer: yes, they can.
Seventy-five percent of all restaurant revenues now come from off-premises transactions, according to the report.
“Off-premises dining has become an essential way to engage consumers,” said Dr. Chad Moutray, chief economist at the National Restaurant Association. “It now accounts for a larger share of sales for 58 percent of limited-service and 41 percent of full-service operators compared with 2019 — providing a critical path to restaurant resilience and growth despite ongoing economic pressures.”
Younger generations drive demand
If you’re looking for a thousand-foot-view explanation, look at the age brackets. Gen Z and Millennials are driving the growth. Two-thirds say take-out is essential to their lifestyle, and six in 10 order take-out or go through a drive-thru at least once a week. Sixty percent also say they’re ordering off-premises more than a year ago.
Take-out is the most popular off-premises option, followed by drive-thru and delivery.
Restaurants are responding. Sixty-five percent of limited-service operators now offer delivery, with many expecting curbside and dedicated take-out areas to be more common this year. Even full-service restaurants, who have traditionally been off-premises laggards, are getting with the program: 43 percent expect to grow their curbside business, 31 percent may add more dedicated take-out counters, and 12 percent may add more drive-thru lanes.
Brands trying to compete without a sophisticated online ordering system are running a race with weights on their ankles. Three quarters of delivery customers value tech-enabled ordering and payment, with 74 percent of Millennials and 65 percent of Gen Z using mobile ordering. Half of both Gen Z and Millennials say they’re comfortable ordering from an AI-generated video assistant.
Loyalty matters, with 60 percent of take-out and delivery consumers saying membership impacts where they order.
Consumers value a bargain: more than 80 percent of consumers accept BOGO offers, combo meals, or real-time specials. But just because consumers are discount hunters doesn’t mean they won’t pay for quality. More than half of the respondents said they will pay more for premium packaging that supports quality during transport.
Read the report here.
