According to a new study from Abacus Data, six in 10 millennials have used third-party food delivery apps such as Uber Eats and Skip the Dishes to order meals in the past month.

“Millennials are more likely to be either eating out or ordering.” David Coletto, co-founder and CEO of Abacus Data, told CTV News. “They are spending more.”

With roughly 9.5 million , millennials -- those born between 1980 and 2000 -- have the power to reshape the restaurant industry

“It's the largest consumer group,” he said. “So they have the power, consumer power, to force businesses to change, but also to reward those that really do appeal and try to attract and serve them in a way they want to be served.”

Matt Phillips, owner and head chef at Edmonton’s Northern Chicken restaurant, says delivery apps now make up a significant part of his sales.

“It's about 20, almost 26 per cent of our business this year

The Abacus Data survey concludes that restaurants will have to think differently and up their game in order to keep younger customers happy. It also expects the use of delivery apps to continue increasing over time.

“You now need to increasingly think about how does the food look like in the box.

While Phillips would prefer to have customers eat inside his tastefully-decorated restaurant, he is still happy to fulfill app orders.

“Income is great,” he said. “It's hard to walk away from that kind of money.”

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