Delivered meals very likely include pizza, according to Quick-Track, a quarterly survey by San Clemente, Calif.-based Sandelman & Associates. A 21-quarter average shows pizza chains garnering 81.4 percent of past-month delivery occasions, while they get 17.4 percent of all past-month occasions. And 79.3 percent of respondents using delivery on their last purchase ordered pizza. So it's no surprise that delivery trends follow pizza trends.

• Fully 83.0 percent of QSR users having their food delivered on their last occasion did so at dinner, a 21-quarter average shows, while 48.6 percent of all users had dinner on their last occasion.
• Consumers using delivery on their last occasion were more likely than all QSR customers to use a limited-time special deal: 42.8 percent vs. 19.4 percent. Of delivery users taking advantage of a promotion, 43.1 percent learned about it through direct mail, and 24.6 percent, through the newspaper. The chart “Clipping Coupons” illustrates that the incidence of using a special deal on delivered meals has been trending down.
• 30.2 percent of respondents using delivery on their last occasion did so on Friday and 16.6 percent did on Saturday, according to 21-quarter averages. Of all users' most recent occasions, 22.2 percent were on Friday, and 14.2 percent were on Saturday.
• Only 8.7 percent of QSR customers who had their meals delivered were alone. 43.1 percent were with their spouse; 38.0 percent, their children; and 20.9 percent, friends.
• There was an average of 2.7 people per party for all QSR users' most recent occasions; that figure is 4.0 for those who used delivery on their last occasion.
• The average check per person was also higher for respondents using delivery: $5.58 vs. $5.09.
• Delivery makes up 5.9 percent of all fast-food occasions, according to a 21-quarter average. Drive-thru is 40.6 percent; eat-in, 30.2 percent; and carryout, 23.3 percent.