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Did you know that Grubhub restaurants prepared over 11 million pizzas in 2022? That’s a lot of cheese! What else got Grubhub diners’ taste buds tingling? Time to rewind to see how diners ate their way through 2022. Looking at trends from hundreds of thousands average daily orders, Grubhub’s #2022Delivered checks in on what shaped 2022.
Let’s dig in!
2022 was the year of digital demand
2022 brought a new post-pandemic landscape for restaurateurs as eating out returned in full force. However, the convenience of online ordering that many diners discovered in 2020 is still here to stay. Today’s diners frequent online ordering platforms or browse through third-party delivery marketplaces to find their next meal.
More independent restaurants are building comprehensive digital presences as they realize customers value online discoverability. Everything from creating a restaurant website to offering online ordering and listing on a third-party delivery app like Grubhub has allowed restaurants to reach more customers online. This boom in online ordering has allowed diners to find new restaurants.
Online ordering has become central to the customer experience
These days, 90% of customers research a restaurant online before visiting. There’s no doubt the restaurant industry is getting digital, and restaurants have capitalized on this demand by building an online presence. Creating restaurant ordering sites or listing a business on a third-party delivery platform allows customers to seamlessly place an order online.
Restaurants are getting more broad with their online marketing strategy. While a restaurant website has been a staple for years, the exposure and orders restaurants can get through social media accounts, online ordering sites and Google Business has opened up the digital landscape. All of these channels can direct customers to your online ordering platform.
Grubhub Direct also saw rising success in 2022. Restaurants are turning to the commission-free online ordering site to easily receive and fulfill orders. Restaurants who have linked their Direct site on their website typically see 72x more average daily orders than those who have a website and do not link Direct. Online ordering is growing daily.
Social media allows restaurants to connect directly with customers
The digital brand trend has continued to expand to social media as more diners browse their favorite social apps to find their next meal. Instagram is one of the top apps for foodies and creating restaurant profiles has allowed restaurants to connect directly with customers. A whopping 87% of Instagram users take action after seeing information about a brand product online, proving that a few posts can lead to real paying customers.
TikTok has been making strides in the business marketing world which has had a positive impact on restaurants. In fact, 36% of TikTok users have visited or ordered food from a restaurant after seeing a TikTok video about the business. With 80 million monthly active users on the app, that can generate a lot of traction around your food. Finding creative ideas for your restaurant’s TikTok account can help you cater directly towards younger customers.
Restaurants have seen the benefits of creating captivating social media profiles across many channels. While creating picture perfect dishes can encourage diners to come back for more, sharing these creations on social media allows restaurants to build buzz around their brand. If there’s one thing 2022 showed us is that the trend of exploring and ordering from restaurants online is here to stay. Harnessing your restaurant’s digital power in a way that captivates customers can help your restaurant prepare for the year ahead.
What came out on top in 2022 Grubhub ordering?
Wondering what got diners’ mouths watering in 2022? Let’s take a look back at what food trends exploded in the industry last year.
Top ordered cuisines
What type of food are diners gravitating towards when it’s time to place an order? American cuisine tops the charts followed by Mexican and Chinese cuisines.
- American
- Mexican
- Chinese
- Japanese
- Italian
- Tex Mex
- Thai
- Indian
- Mediterranean
- Latin American
Top ordered mains
2022 brought a return to the classics, replacing trending plant-based favorites from 2021. Last year’s top food, the wildly popular plant-based sausage wrap, didn’t make the top 10. Diners are turning towards comfort food classics when they go to place an order.
- Burrito
- Cheeseburger
- Cheese Pizza
- Pad Thai
- Chicken Quesadilla
- California Roll
- Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Caesar Salad
- Chicken Tikka Masala
- Boneless Wings
Top ordered sides
Comfort classics are also shining in the sides category. The staple breakfast side hash browns took the lead this year, proving that no breakfast spread is complete without fried potatoes.
- Hash Browns
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Edamame
- Mac & Cheese
- Onion Rings
Top ordered desserts
What are diners ordering to satisfy their sweet tooth? The coffee-flavored italian favorite Tiramisu took the cake, followed by the flakey pastry dessert Baklava.
- Tiramisu
- Baklava
- Cookies
- Cheesecake
- Brownie
- Churros
- Cannoli
- Carrot Cake
- Chocolate Cake
- Flan
Top ordered breakfast dishes
Diners are starting their mornings with the perfect combination of protein and sweets with the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich and donuts topping the list.
- Sausage, Egg & Cheese Sandwich
- Donuts
- Sausage Burrito
- Bagel with Cream Cheese
- Muffin
Top late-night orders (10 p.m. and later)
When the late night cravings kick in, gooey cheese is Grubhub diners’ favorite way to fill their stomachs.
- Chicken Quesadilla
- Fried Chicken Sandwich
- Cheeseburger
- Mozzarella Sticks
- Cheese Pizza
Top Coffee Orders
The results are in: Americans prefer their coffee swirled with ice, regardless of the temperature outside. Iced coffee jumped from third place last year to top of the coffee order in 2022.
- Iced Coffee
- Hot Coffee
- Iced Caramel Coffee
- Iced French Vanilla Coffee
- Frozen Coffee
Top ordered non-alcoholic beverages
Nothing washes down a delicious meal better than a can of cola, according to Grubhub customers.
- Cola
- Lemon Lime Soda
- Iced Tea
- Iced Coffee
- Thai Iced Tea
Top ordered alcoholic beverages
We know Grubhub diners enjoy cracking open a cold one, but we don’t if they enjoy their margaritas with salt or sugar on the rim.
- Beer
- Margarita
- Hot Sake
- Piña Colada
- White Wine
Top ordered condiments
Grubhub diners can’t eat their fries without ketchup and relish in the beautiful combination of wings and ranch.
- Ketchup
- Ranch
- Spicy Buffalo Sauce
- Honey Mustard
- Spicy Mustard
What was trending in your city in 2022?
From coast to coast diners are using Grubhub to order their next meal. Data has shown us that a hungry diner in San Francisco isn’t going to opt for the same alcoholic beverage as a loyal New Yorker, and you can’t expect a Chicagoan to devour buffalo sauce the same way a customer in Los Angeles will. Regional differences have led to different ordering habits across the country.
So what are these regional differences? An Iconic and fitting choice, in NYC the top breakfast order was the bagel. Philadelphia also stuck to its roots with their top dessert order: The Philly Cheesecake. In wine country, San Francisco stayed sophisticated and opted for a long-stemmed glass of Sauvignon Blanc as their alcoholic drink of choice. What was trending in your city? Read more to find out:
What cities ordered the most coffee?
How many cups of coffee does it take to get New Yorkers out of bed? In 2022, New York saw over 79,000 coffee orders on Grubhub. That’s a lot of caffeine!
- New York City
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
- Los Angeles
- Denver
Top ordered alcoholic drink by city
Fresh margaritas are enjoyed coast to coast all year long by Grubhub diners.
Austin: Mexican Martini
Chicago: Frozen Margarita
Los Angeles: Regular Margarita
New York City: Japanese Lager
San Francisco: Sauvignon Blanc
Washington D.C.: Regular Margarita
What city has early risers?
The early bird gets the worm is what they say in the Rocky Mountains. Denver restaurants have the highest percentage of orders from 5 am to 8 am.
- Denver
- New York City
- Nashville
- Los Angeles
- Austin
What city stays up late?
The east coast loves a late night snack. Boston restaurants have the highest percentage of orders from 10 pm to 2 am.
- Boston
- Washington D.C.
- Nashville
- Chicago
- Philadelphia
What are the most popular Grubhub restaurants?
At Grubhub, we love celebrating our restaurant partners’ success. Grubhub delivered for over 365,000 restaurants last year, ensuring your delicious cuisine reaches hungry customers. Restaurants across the country fielded thousands of orders throughout 2022. 18 million deliveries were made nationwide. Chirping Chicken in New York City took the cake with over 73,000 orders in 2022.
Here are the restaurants with the most orders in each city in 2022:
Austin:
- Halal Bros
- Papalote Taco House
- Tuk Tuk Thai Cafe
- Taqueria Guadalajara
- Thai Kitchen
Los Angeles:
- Pita Cafe
- Zankou Chicken – Hollywood
- What the Fish Sushi
- Canter’s Deli
- Silverlake Ramen
Denver:
- Pepper Asian Bistro
- Tamale Kitchen
- Taste of Philly
- Blackjack Pizza
- Sexy Pizza
Chicago:
- Calo Ristorante
- Harold’s Chicken
- John’s Pizzeria Ristorante
- Chicago’s Pizza
- The Pasta Bowl
Washington D.C.:
- A Baked Joint
- CityLight China
- Pizza Boli’s
- Seoulspice
- Baked & Wired
Boston:
- India Quality Restaurant
- Otto
- Pho Basil
- Anna’s Taqueria
- T. Anthony’s Pizzeria
Nashville:
- Best Wok Chinese
- Thai Satay
- Roma Pizza & Pasta
- Milano’s Pizzeria
- Cheap Charlie’s Taco Shop
Seattle:
- Roti Authentic Indian Cuisine
- Sharma King
- Taste of India
- A Pizza Mart
- Thai Thani Ballard
Philadelphia:
- Tres Jalapenos
- Oregon Steaks
- Angelino’s Restaurant
- Rosario’s Pizzeria & Restaurant
- Mandarin Palace
New York:
- Chirping Chicken
- Marinara Pizza
- Up Thai
- Joe’s Pizza
- Broadway Bagels
San Francisco:
- La Corneta Taqueria
- Red Jade Restaurant
- Pancho Villa (16th St)
- The Melt – 925 Market
- North Beach Pizza
A look into diners’ ordering habits
Millions of customers placed orders on Grubhub last year devouring meals from cheeseburgers to poke bowls and everything in between. While no two diners are the same, their ordering habits give insight into how Grubhub customers like to dine.
What is the most popular time to place an order on Grubhub?
6 pm brings the most traffic to Grubhub. In fact, we saw over 23 million orders placed at this time in 2022. That’s a lot of late night snacks!
What are the most popular holidays to order?
Grubhub customers are starting their new year off with a bang – and a burrito bowl. New Year’s Day remained the most popular ordering holiday in 2022. Nothing helps recovery better than a hot restaurant meal.
- New Year’s Day
- Mother’s Day
- Martin Luther King Jr. Day Day
- President’s Day
- Labor Day
Grow your restaurant in 2023 with Grubhub
2022 brought in a new year of growth for restaurants that is carrying forward into the new year. Restaurants tune into consumer trends to ensure their mouthwatering food leads to satisfied customers. Capitalizing on the biggest food trends also means finding the right avenue to reach customers, whether on-premise or through delivery and takeout. The National Restaurant Association predicts that the off-premise market will be where the majority of industry growth will come from over the next 10 years. This means you need the right partner to help you navigate this changing environment and build your online ordering strategy.
That’s where Grubhub comes in. Grubhub can help you reach new and hungry customers eager to order from local restaurants (just like yours)!
Tap into takeout and delivery to bring diners exactly what they’re craving by signing up with Grubhub for Restaurants.
