The office meal delivery market has undergone a remarkable evolution in recent years, largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Nowadays, more and more people prefer to order their meals rather than go out to lunch.
The figures speak for themselves: in 2020, the meal delivery market in France grew by 32%, generating sales of over 6 billion euros.
Find out how the office meal delivery market is evolving in this comprehensive guide!
The players in meal delivery
Historical players
Meal delivery has become a booming sector in France, offering unrivalled convenience to consumers. Among the key players in this market are well-established companies that have played a major role in its development.
Just Eat
One such player is Allo Resto (now renamed Just Eat), founded in 1998, which was among the pioneers to offer online ordering and home delivery of meals. With a wide range of partner restaurants, Allo Resto has established itself as one of France's leading meal delivery platforms, responding to consumers' growing need for home-delivered meals.
Deliveroo
We can also mention Deliveroo, founded in 2013, which revolutionized the sector by introducing the concept of bike delivery. Thanks to their fleet of bike couriers, Deliveroo has enabled fast, efficient delivery in many French cities.
Uber Eats
Finally, it's essential to mention Uber Eats. Since its launch in France in 2016, Uber Eats has quickly conquered a prime position in the meal delivery business. Benefiting from Uber's huge network of drivers, Uber Eats has been able to offer a fast and convenient delivery service in many French cities. Thanks to its user-friendly application and vast selection of partner restaurants, Uber Eats has become one of the most popular and visible players in the French meal delivery market.
👉 Further information: Online ordering: direct or via Uber Eats ?
New entrants
In addition to the players mentioned above, a number of new entrants have entered the meal delivery market in France. And among them, one company in particular stands out: Frichti.
Frichti, an innovative meal delivery company in France, has rapidly made a name for itself since its recent foundation. What makes it so unique is its offer of dishes prepared with fresh, quality ingredients, cooked in its own kitchens. No compromise on freshness and flavor here!
But that's not all. Frichti also attaches great importance to the user experience. Its intuitive app and fast delivery service mean that ordering a delicious meal has never been easier or more convenient. They understand that meal quality and freshness are essential, but they also want it to be hassle-free.
Thanks to this quality-focused approach, Frichti has gained popularity with French consumers looking for healthy, delicious options. They offer a range of appetizing choices, suited to different diets and culinary preferences. In short, Frichti is committed to making home meal delivery as enjoyable as possible!
👉 Further information: Fast food: how to organize takeaway sales?
A changing demand
The new expectations of VSEs and SMEs
In an ever-changing economic landscape, demand from small and medium-sized businesses is undergoing a significant shift. There are many reasons why these small structures are turning to new meal delivery options for their employees:
- Flexibility: VSEs and SMEs prefer flexible solutions that adapt to their specific needs and dynamic work patterns.
- Lower costs: Meal delivery options offer lower costs than setting up a traditional company canteen.
- Wide choice of meals: VSEs and SMEs can select from a variety of dishes and cuisines, catering to the dietary preferences and requirements of their employees.
- Direct delivery: Meals are delivered directly to the workplace, avoiding additional travel for employees.
How can you make employees' lunch breaks more enjoyable?
Teleworking has profoundly transformed the way we work, and has also had an impact on our eating habits. With more and more people working from home, the trend is to order meals from home.
It's against this backdrop that "digital canteens" have emerged as an innovative solution to bring employees back to work. By offering the possibility of ordering varied, high-quality meals delivered directly to the workplace, these catering platforms are helping to reinvent the office meal experience.
They enable employees to rediscover the conviviality and exchanges inherent in a shared work environment, while benefiting from the comfort and flexibility of telecommuting. These "digital canteens" are thus a powerful tool for encouraging employees to gradually return to work, by offering an attractive culinary experience and strengthening social ties within the team.
👉 Going further: the digital canteen 2.0 for your lunch break
Consumer trends and preferences
More organic dishes
Customer tastes and preferences when it comes to meal delivery are constantly evolving. And among these evolutions, there's a growing trend towards organic dishes. And with good reason: statistics show that 15% of those surveyed ate organic food every day, and 24% consumed organic products around once a month in the course of 2021.
Indeed, customers are much more concerned about their health and the environment. They are increasingly aware of the benefits of organic food, grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers.
Restaurants, too, have understood this growing demand and are offering more and more organic menus. From fresh salads with crunchy organic vegetables, to main courses with organic meat, and even gourmet desserts made with organic ingredients.
👉 To find out more: the trend towards organic and local foodservices
More healthy dishes
As with organic food, more and more consumers are paying particular attention to their well-being, and adopting a lifestyle focused on healthy food in general. This is also reflected in their food choices, including when they opt for meal delivery.
- They're looking for dishes that deliver optimum nutritional value while being deliciously tasty.
- Foods rich in essential nutrients, crunchy fresh vegetables, lean proteins and vegetarian options are particularly appealing. While 0.3% of the French are vegans or vegan, 1.9% are vegetarians, making a total of 2.2% of the meat-free population. It may not sound like much, but 37% of French people limit their meat consumption!
Fortunately, restaurants and meal delivery services have caught on to this growing demand and now offer an abundance of healthy, appetizing dishes. From fresh, colorful salads to bowls generously filled with whole grains, tasty vegetables and nourishing proteins, to omega-3-rich fish delicacies, the choices are increasingly varied and tempting!
More local products
Last but not least, people are increasingly attracted to a new way of enjoying food: local products, real gems imbued with regional flavors and artisanal culinary art!
This current trend highlights the importance of supporting local producers and artisans. There is a real awareness of the positive impact they can have by opting for dishes prepared with local ingredients, and by encouraging small businesses in their region. Yes, consumers are increasingly demanding local, and these figures from 2022 prove it:
Here are some figures from the study carried out by Ipsos and Bienvenue à la ferme:
- Firstly, 28% of French people want to " promote the economy and employment where they live".
- Secondly, 25% say they are more reassured about the origin of products and where they come from. There's a certain security of origin.
- 23% of French people prefer local products because they taste better than others.
- Last but not least, and this is the main argument put forward by 97% of French people, buying local products helps local producers.
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