Restaurant delivery sales grow as customers focus on convenience

Restaurant groups across the country have seen a strong growth in delivery sales in the first month of 2026, according to the latest NIQ Hospitality at Home Tracker.

The Tracker, powered by CGA intelligence, reveals like-for-like delivery sales in January were 7.4% ahead of the same month in 2025. A sharp increase from the growth of 4.1% in December, as the persistent rain in January encouraged customers to stay at home and order in dinner.

Total delivery sales in January – including restaurants opened in the last 12 months, or those offering a new delivery service – saw a 13.9% increase.

Customers have been actively choosing the convenience of deliveries over takeaways, with revenue for takeaways and click and collect orders dropping 9.1% on a like-for-like basis in January. Takeaway sales have now fallen year-on-year for ten successive months, demonstrating the need for restaurants to offer delivery services to stay ahead of competitors.

Karl Chessell, director – hospitality operators and food, EMEA at NIQ, said: “The bright start to 2026 for delivery sales is a contrast to eat-in trends and a welcome source of growth for restaurant operators.

“With nearly one pound in every seven spent with restaurants now going on deliveries, this is clearly now a valuable and mature channel. However, it’s not a risk-free increment to sales, and restaurants need to stay alert to protecting both the profitability and quality of their delivery offers. With consumers still cautious with their spending, operators will have to keep working hard to sustain at-home demand in 2026.”