On-demand food delivery: a systematic literature review

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to review the extant academic literature on on-demand food delivery (ODFD) services, i.e. the delivery of freshly prepared meals from restaurants to customers enabled by online platforms; second, to propose directions for future research in this field. Design/methodology/approach This work reviews 59 papers published between 2016 and 2020. They are classified with respect to both their research methodology and the addressed themes, namely the actors involved and the activities creating value for the ODFD ecosystem. The latter was analysed by applying a framework derived from the integration of traditional models and literature about platforms/business ecosystems. Results were validated through interviews with practitioners. Findings Due to its huge success and the significant complexities behind it, the ODFD business has been gaining the interest of academics. The authors’ review highlights that (1) the perspectives of the various actors involved should be integrated, moving towards an ecosystem-based view; (2) future research should focus more on restaurant operations and their role in ODFD systems and (3) despite they have been investigated by several academic contributions, human resource management and logistics of ODFD systems still present room for further extensions, in the areas of intervention/regulation and distribution network/batching, respectively. Originality/value This review offers insights to both academics and practitioners. On the academic side, it analyses the literature on ODFD systems, outlining directions for future research. On the managerial side, it provides a comprehensive view on the most critical value-creating activities for ODFD businesses.