PROJECT-BASED ASSIGNMENT

Programme Title Bachelor of Hotel School School of Professional Studies

Management
Course Code 07ABHMR17514 Course Title Researching for Tourism and
Hospitality Management
Full Name of the student Ispita Borah University GCU0718BHMR121
Examination
Registration
Number
COURSE DELIVERY INSTRUCTOR: Dr.D.P.Sudhagar
STUDENTS ASSIGNMENT SUBMISSION:
Assignment Title Consumer Habits Related to Food Delivery Services: Before and After Covid-19

Introduction Food Delivery Service was a huge revenue generator for the hospitality industry. But
the industry saw a major slump due to the pandemic. Emerging through myths,
nation-wide lockdown, and a deadly virus, the Food Delivery industry now is
witnessing more prosperity than before. The hotels and restaurants have come up
with creative ways to personalize take-outs. Food Delivery companies and
restaurants under WHO guidelines have even expanded their businesses owing to the
pandemic.
This survey tries to understand the behaviour of customers before and after the
pandemic and whether it has restricted their Food delivery experience in any way.

Review 1. Christopher Sanew, 14 April 2020

The purpose of this article is to inform the public about the guidelines to be
followed by both the customers and restaurants for a safe carryout and food
delivery experience. It also mentions that the virus needs an animal/human
being as a host to multiply. The FDA has also stated that there is no evidence
of food or food packaging being associated with transmission of the virus.

2. WHO, 7 April 2020

The purpose of this paper is to lay down guidelines for the food businesses to
spring back into action after a brief halt due to Covid-19. It explains that
although there is no transmission through food or water directly, the
respiratory droplets can end up on inanimate objects, found through recent
studies. Hence the food packaging or surrounding area has to be handled
hygienically. This is followed by a detailed guideline for the food workers
explaining use of gloves, mask and PPE kits; prevention of virus;
maintaining social distancing at workplace; transport and delivery of food
items safely. It also includes guidelines for retail owners handling food items.

3. Digbijay Mishra & Madhav Chanchani, August 20, 2020

The purpose of this article is to showcase the effect of the pandemic on
restaurants. The dine-in option has been made available to the general public
starting with Bengaluru but even there the footfall seen is bleak. However,
the food delivery business has regained its sale by 80%. Zomato has
mentioned that since the lockdown, there has been a whopping 70 million
orders. This means that consumers are slowly shifting to home food delivery.

4. Madhumitha Jaganmohan, Aug 12, 2020

The purpose of this statistical survey was to understand the usage of food
delivery apps during the Covid-19 pandemic as of June 2020.

5. Forbes India, July 31 2020

The purpose of this article is to list down the reasons of the huge rise in food
delivery orders after the onset of Covid-19. Millennials prefer the ease of
using apps for food delivery. There is also a wider variety of options
available, which makes it more appealing than a dining in experience. As for
 the owners, it offers them a greater reach.

6. Dr. Siddhant Bhargava, July 18, 2020

The purpose of this article is to describe the food delivery industry scenario
in the new normal. It lists down the steps taken by the once-volatile F&B
sector to maximise safety and hygiene. From double-layered packaging, one-
time-use cutlery, satellite kitchens, use of gloves and masks while handling
food items and cashless payments, the restaurants are now coping up and
swinging back to business. Cloud kitchens are more in demand and ensure
the customers of the safety measures taken by the outlets. Food delivery apps
help the restaurants gain back the trust of the customers by providing
temperature readings of staff and no contact deliveries. The article ends by
stating that observing the huge engagement of customers post lockdown, the
F&B sector have easily bounced back to action.

Objective To understand the Food Delivery Service-related behaviour of customers before and
after the onset of pandemic.
Methodology  Collecting primary data using the method of Questionnaire Survey.
 Target audience of the Survey were Students, Employees and Unemployed
people of all age groups.
 The findings for the survey was interpreted and data analysed.
 Descriptive statistics was employed to understand the theme reported in the
study.
Results Pie Chart: 1 Age Group

From the above chart, it can be clearly seen that 66.7% of the respondents are between 16-25
years and 31.4% are between 26-35 years. And 2% are 60+ years old.
Pie Chart: 2 Occupation
It can be seen that 72.5% of the respondents are students, 23.5% are employed, 2% are
entrepreneurs and the remaining 2% are retired.

Pie Chart: 3 Family Type

88.2% of the respondents have a nuclear family type and 7.8% have a joint family type. The
rest 3.9% are single.

Pie Chart: 4 Area (Rural or Urban)

From the chart above around 94.1% of the respondents belong to urban area and 5.9% of the
respondents are from rural area.
Pie Chart: 5 Availability of Food Delivery
Around 94.1% of the respondents have said that Food Delivery is available to them and
5.9% say that it is not available in their area.

Pie Chart: 6 Use Of Food Delivery

From the chart above around 84.3% of the respondents use food delivery and 15.7% do not
use this service.

Bar graph: 7 Means of Food Delivery

From the graph above, we can see that while around 45 respondents (88.2%) use apps like
Zomato, Swiggy, etc. for food delivery, 18 respondents (32.3%) directly call the restaurant
for food delivery. Only 1 of the respondents have selected not applicable.

Pie Chart: 8 Use Of Food Delivery In A Week (Before Covid-19)

With varied responses around 39.2% have said that they used food delivery only twice in a
week, 29.4% have said that they used thrice in a week, 15.7% have said once in a week,
7.8% have said daily and another 7.8% have said never used before pandemic.

Pie Chart: 9 Money Spent On Food Delivery (Before Covid-19)

Around 45.1% of the respondents prefer to spend more than Rs. 500, 29.4% spend less than
Rs.500 and 25.5% spend Rs. 500 for food delivery.

Pie Chart: 10 Use Of Food Delivery (During Pandemic)

From the chart above around 62.7% have ordered food delivery during the pandemic and
37.3% have not.
Pie Chart: 11 Use Of Food Delivery In A Week (During Pandemic)
41.2% have said that they never ordered food delivery during the pandemic. An equal
fraction of 17.6% have said that they ordered only once in a week and only on weekends
during the pandemic. 13.7% have said that they ordered thrice in a week during the
pandemic and 9.8% have said that they ordered twice in a week.

Pie Chart: 12 Effect Of Pandemic On Food Delivery Expense

Around 78.4% from the chart above have agreed that the pandemic has affected their
spending habit for food delivery and 21.6% have said that it hasn’t.

Pie Chart: 13 Money Spent On Food Delivery (During Pandemic)

From the chart above 49% spend less than Rs. 500 during the pandemic, 33.3% prefer to
spend more than Rs. 500 and 17.6% prefer spending Rs. 500 on food delivery.

Bar Chart: 14 Factors Affecting Food Delivery (During Pandemic)

29 (56.9%) said Restaurant Rating
30 (58.8%) said Packaging
17 (33.3%) said Portion Size
22 (43.1%) said Cost
12 (23.5%) said Cuisine
45 (88.2%) said Hygiene level
30 (58.8%) said Following WHO safety guidelines
17 (33.3%) said Delivery Time
10 (19.6%) said Nutritional Value
20 (39.2%) said Taste
1 (2%) said Not Applicable
1 (2%) said Safety, precautions

Pie Chart: 15 ETA of Food Delivery Preference

From the above chart we can see that 51% prefer waiting for 30 mins for their food delivery,
31.4% prefer to wait for less than 30 mins and 17.6% prefer waiting for more than 30 mins.

Pie Chart: 16 Reason For Availing Food Delivery

54.9% chose “I order food from outside because it is easier”
29.4% chose “I order food from outside because I don't have time to cook”
2% chose “I order food from outside because it is healthier”
2% chose “I order food from outside because it is cheaper”
2% said “because I enjoy the food”
2% said “Birthdays, anniversaries”
2% said “Presently not using the service”
2% said “when I need yumminess”
2% said “Whenever I crave a Belgian waffle”
2% said “I order food cause not everything is cooked at home”
2% said “When I feel like eating something different from home cooked food”

Pie Chart 17

45.1% chose North Indian

21.6% chose Continental
13.7% chose Asian
7.8% chose Desserts
2% said All
2% said Not Applicable at present
2% said Desserts and snacks
2% said Bengali
2% said Mexican or Italian
2% said South Indian
Pie Chart 18
 Around 56.9% have said that their family income is above 10 lakhs, 25.5% have said that
their family income is between 6-10 lakhs and 17.6% have said it’s below 5 lakhs.
Conclusion The main aim of the survey was to find whether the use of food delivery services by
customers were in any way affected by the pandemic and how the restaurants made the food
delivery experiences better. From the research, I conclude that ~70% of the respondents’
food delivery habits were heavily affected by Covid-19. Most of them were not confident
enough to avail this service before the pandemic due to safety reasons and budget constraints
caused by the lockdown, they were not availing food delivery anymore. With hygiene level
as the most selected criteria in the respondents’ mind while ordering food, it is crucial for
the restaurants to up their game. Through articles and surveys conducted by brands like
Zomato etc., we can see that F&B Sector have managed to pass the obstacles and cope up
with the new normal. To gain back the customer’s trust and maintain their creativity is going
to be the next challenge for restaurants and Food Delivery businesses.
References https://www.thestatesman.com/business/food-delivery-recovering-restaurants-suffering-
1502919127.html

https://yourstory.com/2020/07/online-deliveries-takeaways-food-delivery-covid-19

https://www.indiatvnews.com/business/news-zomato-food-delivery-apps-coronavirus-
pandemic-contactless-dining-641346

https://www.forbesindia.com/article/brand-connect/food-delivery-sector-sees-a-huge-rise-in-
orders-as-a-result-of-covid19/61305/1

https://thewire.in/business/covid-19-food-delivery-workers

https://www.nsc.org/safety-first-blog/food-delivery-and-carryout-safety-during-the-covid-
19-pandemic

https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/331705/WHO-2019-nCoV-Food_Safety-
2020.1-eng.pdf

https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/software/covid-19-pandemic-safety-measures-
food-delivery-apps-are-taking-to-win-back-customers-trust/wary-
customers/slideshow/74963431.cms

https://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/delhi/2020/may/28/online-food-delivery-dos--
donts-during-covid-19-times-2149034.html