In new research on restaurant takeout and delivery options, consumers rated Ruby Tuesday the best casual dining chain for takeout dining, based on scores across 10 different takeout attributes. Red Lobster and Outback Steakhouse grabbed the second and third top spots, respectively.

The recent study, Tapping the Market Potential for Casual Dining Takeout, shed new light on why takeout has taken off at full-service restaurants and how consumers plan to step up their usage in the coming year. While fast food outlets remain important sources for convenient takeout options and food-on-the-go, the most noticeable growth opportunity appears in full-service casual dining, where the meal is usually consumed at home.

Roughly 75 percent of all consumers currently make use of takeout or delivery from full-service restaurants at least once a month. As further evidence of its growing acceptance, nearly 30 percent of these regular users would rather order takeout than eat in at a restaurant, unless the meal was considered a special occasion.

In another sign of growth, twice as many regular users expect to order takeout and delivery more often in the next year; 19 percent expect more use, whereas just 10 percent say they’ll order less often.

Reacting to the study findings, Michael Allenson, Technomic principal, says, “We already knew that takeout represented one of the single best growth opportunities for casual dining chains. But now we’re armed with actionable information that will help our clients fully leverage this opportunity.”