Czechs are ordering more take-out than ever before and helping restaurants avoid fees

Some 62 percent of Czechs now order food from restaurants. People most often choose their food in person at the window and want it quickly, according to a survey by corporate benefit company Up Česká republika.

About one-fifth of people order by telephone for food delivery, and the same amount place an order over the phone and then pick it up at the window. Restaurant operators prefer orders that are picked up, as fees charged by delivery services eat into profits.

A quarter of people want to take refreshments at the service windows. When ordering at the window, two-thirds of people are willing to wait a maximum of 10 minutes.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, according to the analysis of the firm Edenred, which provides meal voucher cards, Czechs have started to eat lunch an hour later, or around 12:30 pm on average. In addition, many people eat less regularly when working from home for a long time than when commuting to work on a daily basis, the analysis showed.

Data from the firm Dotykačka, whose cash register system is used by about a quarter of Czech culinary establishments, show that in January, about two-fifths of culinary establishments were open. Their sales in the week from Jan. 11 reached 43 percent compared to last February, a period not marked by a pandemic.

Visiting culinary establishments is not important only in the case of personal meetings; 47 percent of people miss meeting colleagues or business partners for food. Some 35 percent of Czech diners complain about losing the opportunity to go to a restaurant during a lunch break and clear their head of work tasks.

The survey also showed that the restaurant environment is important for food consumption itself.

There are several ways to find restaurants online to order food to be picked up. Maps and search engines of places offering takeout include an unnamed map by Edenred, Mojeokenko by digital firm AAHI, and Jidlonawebu by Up Česká republika.

Both pickup and delivery can be arranged a relatively new called online service called OneMenu, which has a map and search engine. The service charges restaurants a flat rate for delivery rather than a percentage. This means restaurants can keep more money especially from large orders compared to the major delivery services, which take 30 to 40 percent of the total order amount.