Food delivery has become such a big part of our lives in recent years, and that has only increased in the past four months with the coronavirus pandemic limiting our dining options.
With that in mind, Uber Eats has noticed some trends in their delivery requests and has compiled them into its second annual Uber Eats Cravings Report, a snapshot of the most popular, the most surprising and some of the most unique delivery requests from the last twelve months.
The most popular delivery requests in the US in the last year, according to Uber Eats data, include:
- No onion
- Extra sauce
- No tomatoes
- Crispy
- Side of ranch
- Dressing on the side
- Extra spicy
- Well done
- Light ice
- Extra ketchup
The most popular food and request combos include:
- Tacos + lime
- French fries + salt
- Chicken sandwich + extra mayo
- Wings + Ranch
- Cheeseburger + side pickle
- Chicken nuggets + spicy buffalo sauce
- Breakfast sandwich + add butter
- Burrito + Pinto beans
- Ramen + soft boiled egg
- Poke bowl + seaweed salad
Uber Eats has also noticed specific trends during the last few months of stay-at-home orders and quarantines. Among those are:
- Eaters in Connecticut, Georgia, New Jersey, Tennessee and Nevada seem to be the pickiest states, adding special instructions to their orders. The most laid back eaters are in Delaware, Vermont, Wyoming, Utah and North Dakota.
- The most polite states are Montana, Vermont, Oregon, Idaho and Washington, saying “please” and “thank you” the most in their instructions.
- During quarantine, requests for “extra sauce,” “sauce on the side,” “no onion,” and “no cucumber” increased the most. Requests for “no bacon,” “extra crispy”, and “dressing on the side” decreased.
- A man in Delaware contributed to restaurants 97 times with the instructions: “hi there, this is just a donation, simply accept the order accept the tip! Thank you for your hard work, especially during these difficult times. Have a nice day”
- The most popular “no” items include: no onions, no tomatoes, no pickles, no ice and no jalapeños.
- The most popular “extra” items include: extra sauce, extra ranch, extra cheese, extra spicy and extra honey mustard.
“The second annual Uber Eats Cravings Report is a snapshot of the most popular, the most creative and some of the most unique delivery order requests from the last twelve months,” says Janelle Sallenave, head of Uber Eats, US and Canada. “And this year, as people across the world stayed home to stay safe, we saw an increase in these special requests: from a spike in demand for extra crispy ingredients, to heartfelt and heart-shaped orders for loved ones, to kind notes and in-app donations to restaurants.”