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Restrictions on face-to-face services due to the outbreak of COVID-19 have quickly transformed the paradigm of eating out consumption, such as online food orders and delivery services, into non-face-to-face demand. While this shift offers new opportunities, it can also play a financial burden on small restaurants due to the associated delivery fees and advertising costs. This paper examines the characteristics of restaurants that have adopted delivery services post COVID-19 and investigates the impact of this adoption on their business performance. Data from the 2021 Restaurant Management Status Survey were analysed using propensity score matching. Major analytical results are as follows: First, the decision to adopt delivery services is more significantly influenced by the business characteristics of the restaurant than by the characteristics of the owner. Restaurants located in metropolitan areas, franchises, international cuisine restaurants, those with a majority of female customers and those with a higher number of tables were found to be more likely to adopt delivery services. Second, the introduction of delivery services after COVID-19 tends to increase the sales, but it also led to an increase in operating costs. It indicates that there is no significant change in operating profit or rather decrease in profit. |
