Michele StuevenThe 2010s are coming to an end and the decade has given us classic moments like Lady Gaga’s meat dress, the plant-based movement and all that is impossible. But possibly the biggest food trend has been the explosion of food delivery services.
According to Postmates, by 2019 they are now serving 80 percent of households and delivering in 4,200 cities in the U.S. from restaurants, coffee, shops, boutiques, electronics, grocery stores and more. Looking back, here’s their breakdown of what we loved, what we spent and what we ate at the end of this decade.
Postmates
As far as Los Angeles goes, when hunger strikes, lunchtime cravings kick in for Angelenos the most at noon on Thursdays. Jack in the Box, McDonald’s, and Taco Bell are L.A.’s late-night guilty pleasures. L.A’.s number one ordered item that is unique to the city? The HiHo Cheeseburger. And the list goes on:
- Yankees vs. Dodgers? Season aside, when it comes to Postmates, the Dodgers are hitting it out of the park with live stadium orders. The Dodger Dog is the #1 Postmates Live order. Dodgers stadium has eight of the 10 top biggest orders on Postmates Live.
- L.A. leads the charge for FoodFight!, Postmates’ hunger-fighting initiative. Carrera Cafe has donated 223 times this year.
- What we were drinking: L.A. ordered the most White Claws out of any market. Palm Springs orders more alcohol than any other city (twice as much, in fact).
Postmates
National
A Year in Postmates: What We Ordered 2019
Modern Romance
Flowers and chocolates are always popular, but this year saw a 52 percent spike with adult-themed stores on Valentine’s Day. The sevnth most expensive order of the year? A Pipe Dream Doll from Romantix.
Playing Chicken
Watch parties across the country tuned in to the most epic finale in TV history. And what do people want? Apparently, sushi. During the Game of Thrones finale, sushi orders spiked more than 400 percent.
But the real battle to watch in 2019 was a chicken fight: Chick-fil-A vs. Popeyes. On August 23rd, the Popeyes chicken sandwich outsold Chick-fil-A’s by 42%. And then sold out completely.
The Year of Plant Burgers
2019 was the year for plant-based “meat,” and not just for burgers. Postmates saw the Impossible Whopper from Burger King and White Castle, as well as a huge uptick with Beyond Meat from Carl’s Jr. and Del Taco. Breakfast even got in the game with Dunkin’. Overall, there were 385,589 plant-based meat dishes ordered.
Out with the Old, in with the Bubbles
Pumpkin spice item sales declined for the first time since…ever. Postmates saw 9.4 percent fewer orders in 2019 than the previous year. The new hot drink? Ice-cold White Claw, which saw a jaw-dropping 17,000 percent increase over 2018. Other drinks having a moment are acai and matcha ,with orders growing 103.6 percent and 118.2 percent since 2018, respectively.
Postmates
Taco…Sundays?
Tuesday is actually the number 2 day for taco deliveries, with Sunday coming out on top.
Tacos still reign supreme taking the crown of 2019’s biggest Postmate order, with 220 items: 20 quesaritos, 60 soft tacos, 120 Cool Ranch Dorito® Locos Tacos and 20 Crunchwrap Supremes from Taco Bell.
A City of Angels.
This year, Postmates rolled out their hunger-ending initiative, FoodFight!, and introduced 41 new cities nationwide to deliver food from restaurants to those in need. This year alone FoodFight! has donated 72,000 pounds of food nationwide.
Los Angeles has proven to be one of the most generous cities, home to four out five of their top restaurants donating through FoodFight!
Hey, Big Spender.
The most expensive overall order of the year was two bags from TUMI for a grand total of $2,847.
That’s a Lot of Ketchup
How does an ear of corn covered in ketchup sound? What if they added a four-piece chicken combo from KFC? One Postmates user out there thought it sounded like a great idea, adding 300 packets of ketchup to their corn and chicken, securing their order as the most interesting of 2019.
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