18 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MARCH 6-12, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com Services like DoorDash and Uber Eats are changing the way we interact with restaurants. But is it working out? By Dave Faries An order for a deli sandwich appears on a screen and it is quickly assembled. As this is happening, money changes hands electronically. Finally a person appears at the counter flashing a cell phone. With a tap of the screen, that person picks up the order and disappears out the door. Perhaps the name attached to the order is mentioned. Otherwise barely a word is spoken through the process. Just 20 years ago, such a transaction would have seemed extraordinary. In 2025, however, third-party app orders are becoming the norm, especially at fast casual restaurants. Surveys report that almost one-third of Americans turned to delivery services multiple times a week in 2024—a figure that is growing at a rapid clip. Experts project the global market to top $90 billion by 2030, up considerably from its current $4 billion mark. “Delivery isn’t just a trend, it’s how people eat now,” says Uber Eats spokesperson Zahid Arab. “Customers have come to expect it.” • If Americans are in the midst of a dramatic change in their interactions with restaurants, the benefits and burdens fall on the owners and staff of dining establishments. Certainly the delivery app option became critical to the survival of many restaurants during the pandemic. Unable to visit their favorite dining rooms, people instead turned to third-party delivery. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service, use of delivery from sit-down restaurants alone quadrupled over the course of Covid—jumping to $400 million from a mere $100 million. Meanwhile, mobile orders from the quick-service sector rocketed to $1.4 billion. Other studies push the numbers much higher. Incognia, an identity solutions consulting firm, pegs spending on food delivery in all forms at $26 billion in 2020 alone. While the numbers have calmed since, the apps continue to allow restaurants to tap into potential revenue. “We would die without it,” says Ivana Ranansky, owner of the Togo’s FOOD DRIVE Ivana Ranansky, owner of the Togo’s sandwich shop franchise in Seaside, double checks an order with a delivery driver. Orders through third-party delivery apps account for 40 percent of her business. Photos by Daniel Dreifuss
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