Is takeaway the future of dining? The stats suggest yes, but the hospo industry is adapting

If you’ve been ordering takeaway more often than usual, you’re not alone. Australians are just as likely to get dinner to go as they are to dine in.

The trend has been ramped up over the past 12 months, with Aussies now ordering take-out three times a month and home delivery twice a month, according to Lightspeed’s 2026 State of Hospitality Industry Report.

Takeaway is driving the fastest growth in the foodservice market projected to expand at nearly 12 per cent annually through to 2031 – while dine-in’s share of revenue has fallen to just 20 per cent, down from 31 per cent the year before.

To make up the difference, many restaurants are running takeaway alongside dining room service, while others are branching out into ready-made meals and retail food lines, hosting events, chef partnerships or selling merchandise – not as a side-hustle, but as an essential secondary revenue stream.

Federico Zanellato, owner-chef of two-hatted fine-diner LuMi Dining, knew takeaway wouldn’t translate at his Pyrmont restaurant (“the food just isn’t suitable”). Instead, he opened bakery Lode Pies & Pastries, which has five outposts across Sydney, and fast-casual fro-yo chain, Freo, which has just opened its fourth store in St Leonards.

The move was partly about reducing reliance on a single business and partly about creating a space for new ideas. “We didn’t want to put all our eggs in one basket. I challenged myself to come up with different options, so that not everything was invested in fine dining, which has become critical over the years.”

The express model is also lower-touch, which meant fewer demands on Zanellato’s time. “LuMi relies on me being there and my creativity. It requires a lot of commitment, time and money – and you run out of energy very quickly,” he says.

“Not that my other businesses are easy, but they require a different type of presence from me.”

Diversification can be daunting, but it also presents an opportunity for business owners, says RaRa Ramen founder Katie Shortland. “We all work hard in hospo to survive; sometimes we deserve the chance to test, try, stretch and adapt,” she says.

“It can be an opportunity to look at your brand differently, engage with new partners, and refine and redefine what you represent as a business.”

RaRa Ramen opened its first ramen restaurant in Redfern in 2018. Its third store, which recently opened in the Sydney Airport T3 dining precinct, is the first to adopt a fast-casual format. The compact site is designed for speed and volume, with an ordering and pick-up window, and grab-and-go bento boxes, sandwiches and salads.

These ideas and more will be explored at the next Good Food Symposium, a twice-yearly panel discussion which brings together creative and commercial voices from across the hospitality industry to examine challenges and share solutions.

The free event, presented by Lightspeed, will take place on Monday, May 4, at Alpha restaurant in the Sydney CBD. It is open to anyone working in hospitality – with registration.

Hosted by head of Good Food Sarah Norris, the panel will include Sarah Doyle, creative director of the Porteno Group and Paisano & Daughters; Chris Theodosi, co-owner of Happyfield and its fast-casual sibling, Happy Shop; Rob Stone, senior director of APAC hospitality at Lightspeed; as well as Federico Zanellato and Katie Shortland.

The Good Food Symposium, presented by Lightspeed is on Monday, May 4, from 5.30pm at The Grand on level 2 at Alpha, 238 Castlereagh Street, Sydney. Register for free here.