Some restaurants, such as Tuk Tuk Indian Street Food in Edinburgh, have experienced an ‘unprecedented boom in demand’ with orders increasing 1,300%.
Chinese orders have increased by 23%, Thai food by 73%, while fish and chips sales went up by 74% since the coronavirus outbreak.
Conor McCarthy, chief executive of Flipdish, said: “As people stay at home to do their bit to tackle the coronavirus, many are opting for a comforting curry. But not only are they protecting themselves and the NHS by ordering takeaway food, Brits are helping to keep restaurants afloat.
“Independent restaurants are the lifeblood of the UK hospitality industry and a fundamental part of the cultural fabric of the nation. Everyone who can should support their local favourites during the crisis.”
Flipdish has announced an increase of more than a third (35%) in new UK sign ups to their online ordering system within the last two weeks. The number of UK restaurants transforming their business models to include a takeaway service online has nearly tripled (270%).
Restaurant owner Lee Bandoni, who runs the Aldwych Cafe in Glasgow, added: “We’ve had to scale more in the last two weeks than the previous two years. We’re currently suffering short term pain for long term prosperity. Once the coronavirus is over, the takeaway industry is going to prosper but those restaurants and takeaways that don’t innovate will suffer.”