In mid to late June, the use of food delivery has hovered around the same 1-2 percentage point range, with slight rises and falls throughout the pandemic. This dip in June likely coincided with restaurants reopening for dining in many places. However, for the first time in weeks, as of Thursday, July 2, CivicScience polling of food delivery usage showed a five percentage point increase week over week. 

Restaurant Comfort Declines 

In the past month, states across the country have lessened or completely removed lockdown restrictions, allowing for restaurants and bars to reopen, even as confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus have continued to spike. 

However, as the data show, while accessibility of dining out may have increased, comfort with returning to restaurants–perhaps in light of the new cases–has seen a substantial fall in the most recent two weeks (the current week’s data is as of July 2).

At the same time, use of grocery delivery has begun to slightly rise, suggesting a direct correlation between the two that may be emphasized in the evolving climate of uncertainty. It’s a trend that we’ll watch.

Currently, the relationship between restaurant delivery, grocery delivery, and dining out is starting to take shape. As the country experiences spikes in cases of COVID-19, Americans are pulling back from restaurants and shifting their focus to cooking (and ordering delivery) at home.