Food Delivery And The 'Sharing Economy'

Technology has profoundly transformed how we dine

- Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan

Just last week, we wrote about how what has been widely termed the ‘sharing economy’ – the distinctly Millennial movement of ‘sharing’ rather than necessarily ‘owning’ seemingly anything and everything, and drawing upon technology in the hand to make this possible – has made itself felt in how we travel, with Uber and Airbnb the obvious market leaders. What you might not have been so aware of, however, is how fundamentally our eating habits have also been impacted by similar dynamics.

It emerged late last month, for instance, that even OpenTable, the world’s biggest online restaurant reservation service, with a more than two-decade history, was looking to move into the food delivery market.

This might seem like a logical enough move, especially given the increasing significance of the latter to the overall food and drink industry. As reported by ABC News, the number of visits to restaurants in the U.S. barely altered over the May 2018 to May 2019 period, flat-lining at 23.8 billion, but there was a 3% rise in deliveries during that same time, to two billion.

However, it’s the specific way in which OpenTable is involving itself in the food delivery market that is especially interesting and revealing as to the likely future direction of our relationship with food and drink in general.

EVEN THE DELIVERY OF FOOD CAN BE A VERY AGILE PROCESS THESE DAYS