As divisive as this year has been, there are threads of commonality that continue to unite us. One of those threads is food, and our shared love of convenience and indulgence. In times of trouble there is no greater comfort than a good meal. 

As we’ve all been staying safer at home, delivery apps have become an oft-utilized service. One of those apps, DoorDash, has aggregated the data of Los Angeles’ and the rest of the nation’s dining habits to provide some fun insights into our newly acquired eating habits. 

DoorDash used order data from January 1, 2020 to June 30, 2020 to determine our most popular food trends. In addition to organic data, they also relied on a national consumer survey which polled 2,000 Americans on what they cooked, ate, and ordered the most. 

Here is what they found: 

The Top Items Ordered in L.A.:  Sushi – California roll, spicy tuna roll, salmon avocado roll, rainbow roll, and shrimp tempura roll are top sushi items ordered.

Top Food Items ordered on the West Coast this year during breakfast, lunch, dinner, and late night:

  • Breakfast: Breakfast burrito, bacon, French toast, latte, pancakes 
  • Lunch: Create your own pizza, miso soup, veggie spring rolls, chicken egg roll, orange chicken  
  • Dinner: Chicken tikka masala, spicy tuna roll, Mongolian beef, bean burrito, dragon roll 
  • Late Night: Stuffed jalapenos, mini churros, cheesecake, horchata, fried zucchini 
SushiOverMexican

Sushi reigns supreme (Courtesy DoorDash)

Fun Facts: 

  • By a nearly 3:1 margin, people are more likely to crave comfort food (53%) than healthier foods (18%)
  • Almost half of the respondents (49%) have bought new kitchen items during the COVID-19 crisis. 24% have bought new pots and pans, and 22% have bought new baking sheets
  • 80% have baked since the crisis, and cookies are the number one item, baked by 60%. Cake and brownies are statistically tied for second at 48% and 46%, respectively
  • 45% have tried at least one of three select new food habits: 30% intermittent fasting; 16% foods infused with CBD; 13% foods with collagen
  • 21% have visited a restaurant just because they saw it on Instagram. An additional 22% haven’t done so but want to
  • 59% are excited to order an alcoholic drink when they return to a normal restaurant routine, and margarita is the number one option, selected by 20% 

Top Foods of 2020 To Date (Top Food Items ordered from 1/1/20 to 6/30/20 – U.S.) 

  1. Chicken sandwich and French fries 
  2. Mac and Cheese 
  3. Spicy shrimp tacos 
  4. Make Your Own Pizza 
  5. Iced coffee 
  6. California roll 
  7. Breakfast burrito 
  8. Chicken fajitas 
  9. Spicy tuna roll 
  10. Fish & Chips 

 Top Condiments of 2020 To Date  

  1. Ranch
  2. Sour cream 
  3. Soy sauce
  4. Hot mustard 
  5. Spicy mayo 
  6. Ketchup
  7. Hot sauce
  8. Honey mustard 
  9. Salsa
  10. Honey BBQ 

Top 20 Foods On The Rise This Year That You Should Expect To See More Of: 

  1. Oatmeal – 1,768% increase 
  2. Queso blanco – 1,735% increase 
  3. Iced caramel coffee – 1,660% increase 
  4. Grilled chicken taco – 1,502% increase 
  5. Create Your Own Pizza – 1,501% increase
  6. Cinnamon rolls – 1,400% increase 
  7. Cheese nachos – 1,130% increase
  8. Skillet chocolate chip cookie – 1,193% increase
  9. Spinach and artichoke dip – 1,092% increase 
  10. Iced French vanilla coffee – 1,028% increase  
  11. Shrimp tacos – 997% increase 
  12. New York style cheesecake – 843% increase 
  13. Strawberry banana smoothie – 822% increase
  14. Biscuits with gravy – 818% increase 
  15. Vegetable samosa – 788% increase
  16. Blueberry muffin – 779% increase 
  17. Plant-based burgers – 433% increase
  18. Chicken fajitas – 318% increase 
  19. Churros – 260% increase
  20. Horchata – 200% increase 

*compared ordered behavior from January – June 2020 and January – June 2019 

If you’ve been ordering out more than you should, don’t feel guilty. According to the data provided, the largest amount spent on a single DoorDash food order this year was $2,578 which included 70 orders of Mediterranean herb chicken, 40 orders of grilled vegetables, and 20 cheese plates. The real question being, how many people was it for? 

For more tasty insights, check out the DoorDash Deep Dish report for 2020 on  DoorDash.

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