General grocery stores had known for years that they can provide an extensive range of products so that the customer need not look elsewhere to the competition to purchase food and other items. However, when they are based in expensive cities like New York City, with retail space expensive to manage, this keeps prices high. Therefore, the introduction of delivery services in NYC brings convenience to customers’ homes and better prices.
Competition Between Retailers and Restaurants
Retailers offering grocery provisions did not necessarily see themselves in competition with local restaurants. When someone wished to eat out, they would visit a restaurant. When they chose to eat at home they would purchase their food items from the grocery store. Although there were delivery services in NYC, this usually only applied to the more expensive homes, where the cook would order food from traditional and independent shopkeepers and it would be delivered later in the day, mostly by a young person related to the shopkeeper.
A big change occurred with the onset of fast food outlets, springing up as individual and franchised units everywhere. This took business away from restaurants as customers found a quick meal on route to somewhere else, perhaps home, was easy to purchase and consume. This change also affected the larger retailers because customers could purchase less from the store because they could take out a quick meal on route to work, the theatre or the park.
The Introduction of Chain Restaurants
Chain restaurants began to grow throughout the cities across the US. They provided the opportunity for relatively fast food, but with sitting inside the establishment, which could easily be confused with a standard restaurant experience.
The next stage of the changing status of places to eat began when chain restaurants also offered a take-out service.
Combining the Benefits of All Food Eateries
In modern times, individuals choose their food consumption, by the convenience of its availability. This means going out to eat in expensive restaurants occasionally, while still purchasing food from general grocery stores most weeks. The suitability of visiting chain restaurants and fast food outlets has been attacked in recent years by a trend to move towards more healthy eating. This is one
of the reasons why delivery services in NYC can become so successful as it is a combination of all the conveniences in the way the food can be ordered and the right price.
Food product providers understand that the customer is still in charge of the way that they purchase their food items. Offering a wide variety of opportunities to purchase gives the customer the opening to make choices of what they want to eat, while still at the best prices.