2020 food delivery trends in Spain

If there is one sector in Spain that is growing apace and that is constantly evolving and adapting to new demands of its target customers it’s food home delivery. So that you can get an overall idea of its current situation, in this article we will give you the most significant facts and figures. Don’t miss this opportunity!

A consolidated sector

The figures speak for themselves, especially the ones we can extract from the latest edition of the report Gastrometer 2020, prepared by Just Eat. These data are particularly useful, as they refer to the leading food home delivery company in Spain.

• Home delivery is available in more than 1,700 towns and cities.
• Over 11,000 restaurants offering food home delivery.
• Compared to last year, 33 % more outlets offer a food home delivery service.

Delivery by cities

If we take a moment to analyse the data on the cities with the most growth in home delivery compared to last year, we find the following ranking:

1. Las Palmas de Gran Canaria
2. Seville
3. Murcia
4. Zaragoza
5. Valencia

A markedly young market

Without a doubt, the most prominent feature of this sector is its youth, with ages ranging from 16 to 34 in 50 % of cases. Another outstanding fact is that 66 % order food delivery as a couple. And the peak times are Sundays and public holidays.

Main gastronomic trends

As for the kind of food most in demand, this year there are two new features:

• Italian food has replaced oriental as the No.1 choice.
• Korean has undergone the most striking growth: over 250 %.

Development of riders’ working conditions

The days of the controversy over the labour relationship between riders and home delivery companies appear to be numbered. At least, if we look at the latest proposals from firms such as Deliveroo, Glovo or Uber Eats.

Specifically, they are discussing the possibility of adapting the already existing Spanish legal concept of the “Trade” (acronym in Spanish of dependent autonomous worker) to the new reality and the digital era. Or alternatively creating a new special and specific regime for these workers, to put able to put an end to the lack of coverage and protection that these professionals currently suffer from.

How has COVID-19 affected the home delivery sector?

Of all the consequences that the pandemic has had on the food home delivery market, the following stand out:

• Digitalisation of the sector: it is essential that restaurants that provide a delivery service have the necessary technological tools, such as a  home delivery management service.
• Increase in the number of restaurants with a delivery service: the pandemic explains why there has been such a large increase in the number of catering businesses that have jumped on the home delivery bandwagon.
• Demographic expansion: COVID-19 has also meant that many more people, with quite different profiles, have taken the leap to order food via the Internet for the first time.

Although we are talking about trends, all the indications are that this year’s trends will set the pace in some way of the evolution of the sector over the coming years.