In a time when you can order almost anything and have it delivered right to your door, people are doing, well, just that. From toilet paper to hot sauce and everything in between, there's a wide range of items on the 2023 Annual Cravings Report by Uber Eats, which the company announced today. Chock full of odd order combinations, timely trends, food and alcohol pairings, and unique delivery requests, this report is the lighthearted news we crave. So, what were the most ordered items and hot delivery trends this year? Read on to find out.
"We're back with the fifth annual Uber Eats Cravings Report, our snapshot of the most popular, the most unusual, and downright surprising delivery requests. As the saying goes: 'Nothing tastes better than the thing you want to eat right now.' So whether it's unexpected combos like seaweed and pasta sauce, gobs of wild Gushers, or classy indulgences like lobster tail with apple-infused whiskey, we've got you covered," Marco Vita, senior data scientist at Uber Eats shared in a statement provided to Food & Wine.
According to the report, the combination of cottage cheese and mustard had a moment this year. (Talk about unexpected combos!) If that's not out there enough for you, other unlikely duos, including steak + jelly and butter + pickled onions, were a thing too. More conventional combinations also topped the list, like the burrito bowl and cheese and wings with ranch pairings. The most ordered food and alcohol pairings were the ribeye steak with vodka and the classic combo of a ... cheeseburger with a margarita.
Uber Eats Reveals Its Funniest Customer Requests of the Year
As for the most ordered item, this one comes as little surprise — french fries. Others in the top five most ordered items list included garlic naan, pad thai, miso soup, and California rolls.
Delivery orders often come with specific requests, and this year is no different, with time-honored requests like "no onions" and "dressing on the side" as the most popular, as well as "no slaw" and "extra gravy" making the list in that category. In fact, more and more people are "nixing the onions" and perhaps prioritizing their breath, according to the report.
Uber Eats also gathered some seasonal data for this report. As it turns out, summer '23 saw a decline in rosé sales, an uptick in hot sauce, and, with the school year recently kicking off, the report found that college students are back to ordering late-night study (and, okay, party) snacks between 12-4 a.m., especially Penn State and the University of Iowa. No matter the time of year, though, apple pie was the number one dessert order, with almost 2 million orders nationwide in 2023.
Where this year's Uber Eats Annual Cravings Report really shines is with the most unique (and detailed) requests that people ordering all over the U.S. made throughout the year.
"Sauce on everything. I mean it. Literally drown my food in that amazing nectar," one customer requested.
"Put it in a box instead of a circle container. I refuse to eat any food if presented in a circle container. Please don't ruin my meal for me," another added. While one more exclaimed, "My cats think your chicken is crack, so this is for them!"
There was also this rather masoch*stic request: "I’m very serious about my spice, so please make it super super super hot, fire spicy. Like, make me cry 😢 🥵 hot!!! More 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Please make me hurt! Let’s get as spicy as possible. Hotter, the better!!!"
With Halloween coming up, Uber Eats has also included some fun trivia surrounding the holiday. One of the top sweet treats is the '90s nostalgic Gushers, according to the report, and someone who really loves M&Ms ordered a whopping 135 bags of the candy this year. Reese's, Twix, and Snickers are the most ordered candies through Uber Eats, and the state of Alabama is all about Nerds.
This is just a taste of this year's report; devour the rest of it at Uber.com. And remember, whatever cravings you order, take a note out of San Francisco, California, and Richmond, Virginia's books, which were named the "most polite cities" by Uber Eats for saying "please" and "thank you" the most in their instructions.
