Takeaway sales surged at a record rate after Covid-19 reached New Zealand, creating new opportunities for restaurants to survive during the era of social distancing. 

Food-delivery platform, Menulog, reported a 20-per-cent increase in restaurants signing up its service across the country this year and many of its restaurant partners recorded unprecedented volumes of takeaway orders amid the pandemic. 

“It was a difficult year for the industry,” said Rory Murphy, commercial director at Menulog NZA. “Pre-Covid, many restaurants relied heavily on in-store dining and orders and so faced a challenge when the country went into lockdown.

“It was great to see so many restaurants quickly pivot and change to ensure their business could continue to operate and continue to serve up delicious food through a very difficult time.”

This year, Indian cuisine were the three most-ordered dishes from Menulog: Butter Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala and Chicken Korma. More than 90,000 Butter Chicken meals were sold by the platform this year.

But it wasn’t just Indian cuisine that was popular. In the Hawkes Bay town of Wairoa, Hungry Mates provided more than 1000 of its signature chicken fillet burgers this year. 

“Delivery and online ordering has been a key part of the business since we opened last year, helping us serve more delicious food to the people of Wairoa,” said Sam Singh, restaurant manager at Hungry Mate. 

When the country moved back to level 3 between May and June, Menulog experienced its 10 busiest days of the year. The company said the rise in orders happened as people reunited with family and friends for the first time in more than a month following level 4 lockdown.