Thursday, August 31, 2017

What's the big deal about eating late and why is it becoming so popular?

Let's start with the growing demand for mostly anything, at any time, at any given place, and can we have it delivered today before 5pm? When the demand is high, we do not care about the cost of shipping, just get me what I need, as fast as possible because I am hungry, I don't know the area, I may be tired or maybe I've had a few drinks and just need food. These are the types of customers that work 40+ hours a week and contribute to society just as much as anyone else, however, their livelihood may be a bit different because technology is allowing for more people to venture outside of the "normal zone" a bit more, so they travel.

Today's consumer is no longer bound by the limits of the traditional 9 to 5. As work cubicles morph into production areas, and online reviews provide avenues for the adventurer to explore new eateries and shops in different towns and cities, our cell phones make planning a day, evening or weekend get-a-way something as simple as asking Google or Alexa.

More and more people are using the endless numbers of mobile apps to tailor their experience from start to finish, sometimes even as they travel to their weekend destination. This is what technology has placed at our disposal. Five years ago, if you needed a ride but did not want to drive, your choices were a designated driver or the luxuries of the local taxi cab company.

Today, you do not need a drivers license to take a group of friends out on the town, and while on vacation, you don't need to worry about food or plans to eat out because through the simple click of a button on your mobile device, your requests are being addressed by big corporation and local business combined.

Companies are allowing employees to work from remote locations, they offer staggard start/finish times, so, the workday is becoming less traditional and more of a culturally inspired or organically developed practice, designed to maximize production. The popularity of this work style, and how effective it has become, provides a platform for the 24-hour culture that is becoming more common today. And that culture is not batting an eye when it comes to services and amenities at any point, day or night. In fact, when they are on vacation, we have found food services, with extended hours to be a great and welcoming addition to whatever may be planned for the night because they say, they don't have to leave or go search for food.

I happen to be in an area where the sun is shining brightly almost 345 days of the year, so sleep during the hot summer days and swimming at night is a reoccurring local trend, that requires only one thing to keep the party going after midnight, food.



Late Nite Munchies Delivery of Palm Springs, CA
www.latenitemunchies.com


Uber Eats, Eat24, Postmates, Doordash and many more are all keen to this growing trend and the amount of revenue it is generating. It is an unwritten rule in Las Vegas, to minimize public-facing clocks to mask the element of time so visitors spend more time interacting with their vacation and not so much managing it. This is not a new fad, people have always wanted escapism. They want to feel like they are in control of their entire experience even if it is just to sit at home or to relax on a hotel bed while ordering their favorite food because room service closed earlier than anticipated. Again, the feeling is why should time prevent them from having a Cobb Salad or a Big Mac. Maybe they just flew into town or had a long drive. The last thing anyone wants to do is navigate an area to which they are not familiar, and to do so after midnight.

So again, what's the big deal about eating late, if your lifestyle or circumstances just happen to begin at sunset? Or maybe you are not feeling up to "ubering" through a drive-thru or room service is the snack machine down by the ice machine. The answer is in the fast-growing delivery industry, together with the patrons who are discovering and utilizing the services at home or on vacation. Early morning food requests are becoming more common because the customer has spoken and they speak very frequently using their smartphones and credit card. That is a big deal.