With just a few weeks left in the year, Grubhub is looking back on the ordering habits and trends of the year. According to their 2024 Delivered Report, which has just come out, Americans ditched minimalism to make this the year of “Doing the Most.”
This year’s top takeout trends and most popular orders include:
- People were ALL in on protein - It was a big year for chicken, which was included in nearly 40% of all Grubhub restaurant orders. It was also included in Grubhub grocery store orders almost three times as often as beef.
- Cottage cheese is having a moment - Thanks to social media, people embraced the protein-packed food this year and Grubhub delivered more than 2-thousand pounds of the curds.
- Americans were buzzing about espresso - Customers added more espresso shots to their orders than last year and it’s no coincidence that Grubhub espresso orders spiked the week of June 22nd, right when Sabrina Carpenter’s hit topped the charts.
- Pickles are still popular - Overall orders for pickles were up 14% in 2024.
- Dr Pepper takes over as the most-ordered soda from convenience stores - And some customers embraced the viral trend of adding pickles to theirs for an unexpected flavor combo.
- Corporate ordering made a big comeback - Grubhub’s corporate coffee orders spiked by 53% in 2024, thanks in part to return-to-office policies. Chipotle lunch orders were the top choice, increasing by 27% this year.
- Mexican cuisine was the most popular international cuisine - Across the country, Grubhub customers ordered nearly 1.3-million birria orders in 2024 alone.
- Caffeine fuels college students - East Coast colleges placed the most caffeine orders overall and the colleges that ordered the most coffee were Pace University - NYC, West Chester University of Pennsylvania and Syracuse University.
- The “swicy” trend took over - Diners love the mix of sweet and spicy flavors, with hot honey purchases up 30% in Grubhub grocery store orders.
Source: Grubhub
Scott's Thoughts:
- Hot honey is a combo I can get behind, but pickles in Dr Pepper? That’s a hard pass!
- I honestly can't afford food delivery because of the costs.
- If I am eating takeout, it most often is either Chinese or Pizza and I go get it myself.