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Grubhub recently revealed their “Year in Food Report” recollecting all the eating data they gathered from hungry customers from the past year. To cook up this report, Grubhub analyzed orders from more than 32 million customers to see what meal items rose in popularity, and compared this with results from a similar study completed in 2020. As challenging and ambiguous as 2021 was—with vaccine rollouts, re-openings, and more—everyone in the foodservice industry was eager to see the spicy statistics.
As the lasting effects of COVID-19 lingered into 2021, Grubhub found a majority of their customers were still placing orders to be delivered to their homes. This includes grocery orders, convenience store orders, and regular meal delivery orders. As companies and corporate businesses began adding more flexibility for employees to work from home, this was the first big finding from Grubhub—that ordering in from home seems like it’s here to stay.
From those at-home orders, Grubhub took a look at what people were ordering and reached the general conclusion that above all—consumers are willing to fork out their dough on groceries and actual meals, all for the sake of convenience.
As you would expect from a study of over 32 million Grubhub consumers, there were literally millions of different dishes and meals to appease any palate. However, according to Progressive Grocer, there were a few clear winners as the most popular go-to convenience items growing exponentially since 2020.
Here are the top trends in convenience orders:
Does your business have an operating micro market? Because, these items would be a great add! We have a few more top selling items you should be including in your micro market to boost even more sales. See the full list here.
After convenience orders, Grubhub dug a little deeper to find what topped the list as the most ordered menu items of the year. From gathering this data, here are the items predicted to be just as hot this year.
Also, we would be remiss if we didn’t add—it’s our job to educate you on what customers want, but also on how to start selling these mouthwatering favorites in your own business. So, after every menu item, we’ll share with you the packaging, cooking tools, or even equipment we recommend so you can start serving exactly what customers are hungry for.
The top five orders include:
Impossible cheeseburger (+442%)
Shredded pork taco (+310%)
Apple pecan
chicken salad (+287%)
Detroit-style pizza (+263%)
Margherita pizza (+240%)
Pub mac and cheese (+174%)
The data doesn’t lie—convenience is here to stay in all industries from food retail to hospitality. If you’re looking for more ways to serve up a convenient experience to your guests, customers and patrons, make sure you have the right to-go packaging to keep up with consumer demand.
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Only Hubert delivers the expertise and products to solve complex challenges like overcoming the labor shortage, driving more food sales, and creating a memorable experience for customers.
For 75 years we’ve helped many industries—including hospitality, education, food retail, healthcare, retail, and more—overcome these unique challenges with our expertise and line of products, including displayware, display fixtures, décor, signage, bar & beverage, food prep equipment, large commercial equipment, ice machines, merchandisers, and back of the house equipment.
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