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18 Digital Gastronomy Statistics: Overview 2026

How do guests find a restaurant, how do they get information and which digital offers do they use? This collection classifies 18 key figures from official data and surveys for your business. As of: September 2026; the evaluated data comes from 2021, 2024 and 2025.

GastroSprint editorial team6 min reading time

A guest finds your restaurant on their smartphone. He wants to see the menu, compare prices and decide whether to come in or order. Which digital offers count can be classified more precisely with data.

Here you will find 18 selected key figures for Germany: on ordering food online, choosing a restaurant, digital offers and the economic environment. Each number leads to the original source. The following practical tips are our editorial classification, not measured product effects.

Research status: September 12, 2026. The collection combines different years of data and surveys. It is not a study in itself and is not a complete list of all available gastronomy data.

How common is online restaurant food ordering?

1. How many people ordered restaurant food online in 2024?

24% of 16 to 74 year olds in Germany ordered food from restaurants or fast food chains online in the three months before the survey. Destatis, data year 2024

2. How high was this share in 2021?

17 % The same age group had ordered restaurant food online within the three-month period surveyed in 2021. This is a historical comparison value. Destatis, data year 2021

3. Which identified group had the highest proportion?

35% of men between 25 and 54 years old ordered restaurant food online in the surveyed period in 2024. Destatis, data year 2024

Classification for your company: The values measure people, not order quantities. This does not result in an average shopping cart or a monthly order frequency. The division between platforms and your own restaurant shops also remains open. Therefore, plan your direct channel with your orders instead of applying a population quota to your sales. They help with the calculation Costs of an online ordering system.

What do guests expect from the digital restaurant presence?

The following four results come from a Bitkom survey of restaurants and cafés.

4. How often is the menu checked online in advance?

53 % Before visiting a new restaurant or café, you usually look at the menu online. Bitkom, 2024

5. How common is this among younger guests?

65% of 16 to 29 year olds In this way you can find out about the offer in advance. Bitkom, 2024

6. How many expect an internet presence?

69 % expect an online presence from restaurants or cafés, for example with pictures of the offerings and the rooms. Bitkom, 2024

7. Does social media drive restaurant visits?

42 % have already visited a restaurant or café that they discovered through social media. Bitkom, 2024

Classification for your company: Treat your online menu like the menu at the table: correct prices, recognizable categories, understandable extras. Open it on a small smartphone. If a guest has to constantly zoom or spend a long time looking for the order link, you have a concrete starting point. The guide to Digitizing a PDF menu shows the next step.

How do restaurant guests use search, reviews and digital offers?

METRO reports the following five values from a YouGov survey commissioned by METRO and DISH. The publication speaks about the results from restaurant visitors or respondents.

8. How many search for restaurants digitally?

70 % use digital platforms to find restaurants. METRO/YouGov, 2025

9. How important are online reviews when choosing?

45 % rate online reviews and recommendations as somewhat or very important for their choice of restaurant. METRO/YouGov, 2025

10. Are positive restaurant experiences shared online?

49% of restaurant visitors share positive experiences via online channels. METRO/YouGov, 2025

11. How many have used digital menus?

38% of guests have already used a digital menu. METRO/YouGov, 2025

12. Which method of payment do guests prefer in the restaurant?

55 % prefer contactless payment via card, mobile device or QR code. This applies to the restaurant visit, not the online checkout. METRO/YouGov, 2025

Classification for your company: Search, menu and order should match. Check where your restaurant profile links and whether guests can find the right branch and menu there. For instructions, see the Order link in Google business profile. Don't compare different surveys like a time series: "already used", "preferred" and "important" measure different things.

Which digital solutions do operators find helpful?

orderbird surveyed 375 catering operators. The following values ​​describe this sample and are not distribution rates for the whole of Germany. Multiple answers were possible.

13. What role does the website play in everyday operations?

34,9 % cited the website as a particularly helpful digital solution. This does not mean that only this share owns a website. orderbird, 2025, p. 20

14. How frequently were digital cash register systems mentioned?

86,9 % Digital cash register systems were among the particularly helpful solutions. orderbird, 2025, p. 20

15. How much interest is there in QR orders?

Around 19% would like to try out an ordering function via QR code in the future. orderbird, 2025, p. 21

16. What demand is there for AI evaluations?

16,8 % want to try out AI-powered sales and inventory analysis. orderbird, 2025, p. 21

Classification for your company: A planned test does not say anything about introduction, satisfaction or cost-effectiveness. First decide which action you want to improve: maintain card, accept order or check inventory. The mention of AI evaluations also does not prove a demand for AI menu imports; these are different tasks. The technologies mentioned here are not a list of functions from GastroSprint.

How did restaurant sales develop?

17. How did price-adjusted sales change in 2025?

Real catering sales fell by 2.2% compared to 2024, according to the preliminary annual results. Destatis, published February 19, 2026

18. How did nominal sales develop in the same period?

Nominal catering sales rose by 1.8% compared to 2024. This figure is not adjusted for price changes. Destatis, published February 19, 2026

Classification for your company: More euros in the cash register are not in themselves evidence of more orders or a higher profit. View order number, shopping cart and remaining amount separated by goods, personnel, delivery and channel costs. Even your own shop has to be profitable under your conditions. For practical implementation, you can find ways here To increase direct orders in the restaurant.

Methodology: What this collection can achieve

Publicly accessible original publications with a recognizable connection to restaurants in Germany were selected. Official results are available alongside consumer surveys and a sample of operators. Sources verified on September 12, 2026; A complete recording of all studies is not claimed.

Reference groups remain separate. Destatis considers people aged 16 to 74 when making online purchases. Bitkom surveyed 1,005 people aged 16 and over by telephone in week 18-21/2024. At METRO/YouGov there were 2,000 adults in January 2025; the publication describes the survey as representative. orderbird surveyed 375 operators from June 4th to 15th, 2025. Results from providers of digital catering solutions are marked as such.

A number needs its context. When quoting, use the data year, question and reference group. No sales share can be calculated from a respondent share. The desire for a function does not result in a purchase. And a majority in a study does not guarantee an effect for an individual restaurant.

Some questions remain unanswered. These sources do not provide a reliable Germany-wide direct order rate, no switching rate from delivery platforms to your own shop and no general order abandonment rate for restaurant shops. That's why there are no estimated values ​​here. Fees and exemplary savings belong in a separate cost calculation, not between measured consumer shares.

Updating means checking again. When revising, the original source, data year and question must be checked together. If a survey method changes, a new series may begin. The year addition in the title describes the status of the compilation; This does not make older data more current.

What you can derive from this for your restaurant

Start with a consistent path: a guest finds your restaurant, understands what you offer and arrives at the appropriate order. Test this method yourself on your smartphone, if possible with someone who doesn't know your website. Note where the person is looking, going back, or needs to ask.

First, improve the hurdles you've observed: an outdated menu, a hidden order button, or unclear delivery and pickup information. Then decide whether you need additional features. The statistics help you to classify things, while concrete observations in your company determine the next changes.

Frequently asked questions

Are these all gastronomy statistics from 2026?

No. 2026 refers to the status of this compilation. The respective data year is listed at each key figure. A retrieval in September 2026 does not make a survey from 2024 a survey from 2026.

How many restaurants have their own online online ordering website?

This collection does not contain a reliable Germany-wide quota. The question of whether a digital solution was experienced as helpful does not measure its distribution. Platform usage by guests cannot be converted into a share of restaurants with their own shop.

Can I use the numbers in my own article?

In addition to the value, always mention the data year, the reference group and the original source. The linked studies and official publications enable the examination. GastroSprint is the publisher of a compilation here, not the author of its own representative survey.

Sources and product basis

From reading to ordering

Turn your menu into a direct ordering route.

With GastroSprint you can prepare your PDF or photo menu for your own online ordering website. Guests order from you for delivery or pickup.

Get to know the online ordering website Classify costs