Regulations across the nation restricting people from gathering inside eateries in the wake of COVID-19, does not appear to have affected online food delivery. On the contrary, more people have been ordering food online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Westlife Development, which runs McDonald’s restaurants in western and southern India, reported same-store sales growth of 10.5 per cent in the March quarter (Q4) of financial year 2020-21 (FY21) as dine-in operations improved.

In an interview with the Business Standard, Amit Jatia, vice-chairman of Westlife Development said the convenience channels contributed 60 percent to overall sales during the pandemic.

In an earlier interview with the Economic Times in February Smita Jatia, director of Westlife Development said her company did not have to sack any employee during the pandemic.

Not just Westlife Development but food aggregators like Swiggy, Zomato and others have also recorded steady business amid the raging pandemic.

In April last week, Indian food delivery platform Zomato, backed by China's Ant Group, filed for an initial public offering of up to 82.5 billion rupees ($1.11 billion). The company officials underscored that consumers are increasingly ordering food online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Given the food delivery trend, food regulator FSSAI, last month, wrote to states to ensure there are no disruptions in the food supply chain amid curfews and semi-lockdown in many parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the trend of food delivery is recording an uptick in the West as well. According to the financial quarter filings by food aggregators in the United States, the pandemic has more than doubled food-delivery apps’ business.