Restaurants ditch dining rooms as deliveries soar

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They're restaurants where you can't take a seat.

As consumers increasingly turn to online delivery sites like Seamless and Uber Eats, places like salad chain Chop't are testing a new model for their restaurants: no dining rooms.

This newly-opened Manhattan location is unlike any other of the chain's 61 sites. It has no cash registers or tables for customers – the site strictly for pick-up and delivery.

Julie Atkinson is chief marketing officer for Chop't.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) CHOPT CREATIVE SALAD'S CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, JULIE ATKINSON, SAYING:

"We are sensing a really huge customer need for speed, for convenience. Our pickup and delivery is at almost 50% of total volume in many of our biggest stores. And so we're just trying to respond to that customer demand with this location."

Shelves hold salads ready for pick up, while greeters help in-store customers who have placed orders via their smartphones.

Online delivery is changing the way we dine, says Rick Camac of the Institute of Culinary Education.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DEAN OF RESTAURANT & HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT AT THE INSTITUTE OF CULINARY EDUCATION, RICK CAMAC, SAYING:

"There's a reason there were 40 great French in restaurants New York City, you know, 10, 20 years ago. And now there's about four. We want it quicker, cheaper and better."

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A has similar standing-room only sites in Nashville and Louisville for pick-up and delivery only.

The chicken chain is also trying something different, opening three pilot “delivery kitchens” this year - at those sites, Chick-fil-A shares kitchens with other restaurants to prepare food for delivery only.

By doing so, it significantly drives down labor and real estate costs, says Camac.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) DEAN OF RESTAURANT & HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT AT THE INSTITUTE OF CULINARY EDUCATION, RICK CAMAC, SAYING:

"Now you can use less staff and staff is getting very expensive. And more importantly, if you don't need a front of the house or you don't need tables, chairs, whatever, and all the things that go with it, including square footage, most importantly, you've now lowered your occupancy cost."

Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick founded CloudKitchens in 2016, which builds shared kitchens for delivery-only restaurants to rent.

In a further sign the trend is taking off, CloudKitchens earlier this year got a $400 million investment from Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund.