Grubhub, the nation's leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace, today released findings from its annual "Year in Food" report. To find out what food trends shaped the year (or didn't), Grubhub analyzed tens of millions of orders placed by more than 21 million diners on its platform to uncover the flavors and tastes rising up the ranks among today's diners. Additionally, diners will receive their personalized "Taste of 2019" to get a glimpse of their favorite cuisines, menu items, and ordering habits throughout the year.
Top Orders of the Year
One thing is clear: plant-based foods are here to stay, with a majority of 2019's top foods comprising of vegetarian- or vegan-friendly options. Cauliflower pizza claimed the top spot, rising 650% in popularity throughout the year.
- Cauliflower pizza: 650%
- Spicy brussel sprouts: 622%
- Portobello empanada: 601%
- Black bean & sweet potato taco: 513%
- Miso pork ramen: 413%
- Chicken burger: 318%
- Bone broth: 298%
- Brown sugar milk [bubble] tea: 281%
- Vegan pad thai: 280%
- Impossible burger: 203%
Fun Facts:
- While cauliflower dishes took home the #7 and #10 spots in 2018, this year cauliflower leads the charge.
- Vegetarian- and vegan-friendly dishes took over 7 of our top 10 as opposed to only 3 of the top spots in 2018.
Breakfast: bacon, egg & cheese is a staple combo across breakfast that's risen to the #1 spot from last year.
- BEC (bacon, egg & cheese) biscuit: 442% more popular
- Mixed berry acai bowl: 209% more popular
- Chicken & waffles: 167% more popular
- Strawberry banana french toast: 155% more popular
- Dutch pancake: 149% more popular
Desserts: a balanced mix of fan favorites, a few classics with a trendy spin, and a vegan dessert in our top five.
- Butter cake: 641% more popular
- Chocolate shake: 530% more popular
- fruit crepe : 223% more popular
- Caramel churro : 206% more popular
- vegan carrot cake : 144% more popular
Late-night: carbs come in handy for those snacking on late-night treats with yet another appearance from the vegan family.
- Buffalo chicken empanada : 277% more popular
- Brisket quesadilla: 200% more popular
- Truffle parmesan fries: 157% more popular
- Garlic & parmesan bread sticks: 132% more popular
- Vegan burger: 128% more popular
The Rise of Plant-Based Options
Vegan & vegetarian trends are still growing, with vegan orders rising 27% in popularity overall in 2019 as compared to 2018. Specifically, the Impossible Burger saw a more than 200% rise in popularity this year!
The top meat-alternative options of 2019 (in ranking order):
- Impossible Burger
- Black bean burger
- Tofu
- Mushroom burger
- Jackfruit
Top Spots for Vegans: If among the growing number of fans surrounding the vegan diet, Grubhub shed some light on the best (and not-so-great) states for people.
Most Vegan-Friendly States (in ranking order):
- New York
- California
- Nevada
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
Least Vegan-Friendly States (in ranking order):
- Indiana
- Iowa
- North Carolina
- Missouri
- Idaho
FOODIE SUPERLATIVES
The state you should visit if you relate to the following:
- The Night Owl (rise of late night orders): Washington DC
- The Health Nut (rise of healthy foods): California
- The Most Energized (rise of caffeinated drinks): Oregon
- The Sweetest State (rise of desserts): Texas
Placed on GH in 2019:
- Biggest single-item splurge: osetra black caviar for $285 (30g)
- Largest order (non-catering): more than 300 tacos for a Halloween party
- Smallest order: a single hot sauce packet (must've been a real emergency!)
The Trends of Years Past
Burgers, pizza, and tacos will always be a delivery go-to; however, if there's one thing we know it's that trends come and go. Whether its cauliflower-everything or 2017's top food of poke bowls, with more than 450,000 orders per day on average, it's safe to say Grubhub has its finger on the pulse of what's hot (and what's not).
Trends on the Rise: it's all about detox and milk alternatives this year
- Celery juice
- Oat milk
- Street corn
Middle of the road: not rising the ranks in popularity, but these remain a trusty go-to dish among diners
- Poke
- Avocado toast
- Kale
Trends on the Decline: forget fermentation and hydration, these two are on the out
- Kombucha
- Coconut water
Fun fact: celery juice and oat milk saw a claim to fame in 2019, seeing a 302% and 285% rise in popularity (respectively).
"Best of Grubhub"
While 2019 was a year for new trends, Grubhub also took a look at some of the top delivery go-to dishes and the restaurants that took home the title - "Best of Grubhub" - for each dish.
- Burgers: Calibur in San Francisco is a local favorite known for their classic burger and homemade Calibur sauce (and don't miss the Tallow Fries).
- Pizza: a New York City staple, Joe's Pizza (Greenwich Village Institution) takes it home for this delivery favorite.
- Chicken wings: KyoChon in Los Angeles has been said to "more than compensate in addictive flavor" with a top dish being the restaurant's honey wings.
- Tacos: E Bar Tex Mex in Dallas is known for their tacos, especially "Jorge's Tacos" featuring a set of four (diner's choice!)
- Poke: a dish known for its customization, SeaSweets Poke in Portland (Oregon) is the top spot for poke with the Ahi Shoyu Poke Bowl being a favorite.
- Pad Thai: Circles Thai in Philadelphia comes in as the number one spot for this delivery essential.
- Meatballs: diners love the Homemade Meatballs from DiPasquale's Italian Marketplace in Baltimore, with the restaurant's menu warning diners to "be prepared" for how large the meatball sub is!
A Year of Giving Back
Since launching its "Donate the Change" feature in October, Grubhub diners have given back to those in need. In 2019 alone, diners rounded up and donated a whopping more than $10 million to support organizations (Jan-Oct) including Grubhub's core partner, No Kid Hungry. Other organizations supported throughout the year include the James Beard Foundation's Women's Leadership Programs as part of the company's RestaurantHER program and NYC Kids RISE, giving back to local public school students' college and career futures to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Seamless, Grubhub's New York-specific brand.
Grubhub's "Year in Food" report is based on trends gathered from tens of millions of orders on the Grubhub platform. Order trends detail the rise in popularity of food items placed by Grubhub diners from January-November 2019, as compared to the same timeframe in 2018.
Source: Grubhub
