French Fries Keep Covid Lockdown Title Of Most Ordered Food Delivery Item

When the going gets tough, the tough get French fries — and so does everyone else, apparently. The ever-popular French fry ranked as the top-ordered food item in 2021 at both DoorDash and Uber Eats, proving once again that when it comes to grim events like a global pandemic, nothing soothes the soul (and belly) quite like thin-sliced potatoes cooked in scalding hot oil.

                By                    Vance Cariaga

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Orders of French fries from food delivery services showed massive gains in all kinds of concoctions this year, according to a new analysis from the Food Institute. For example, Uber Eats noted that orders of cheese fries rose a whopping 1,234% when compared to pre-pandemic levels. DoorDash logged robust year-over-year gains for cilantro lime fries (+341%), waffle fries (+178%), and garlic fries (+127%).

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But weep not for regular old French fries. Their orders climbed 130% in 2021, according to DoorDash.

The Food Institute analysis also found that the moves by DoorDash and Uber Eats to enter the grocery delivery space have proven fruitful for both platforms, especially on weekends. Uber Eats said its most popular delivery slot for groceries is 5-7 p.m. on weekends, while DoorDash said dinner time on Saturdays is the most popular.

In terms of other popular delivery items, it should surprise exactly no one that alcohol also ranked high during the pandemic. All three major delivery platforms — Uber Eats, DoorDash and GrubHub — reported higher alcohol deliveries in 2021.

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But what kind of alcohol, you might wonder? In terms of spirits, DoorDash and GrubHub reported very stout gains in deliveries of margaritas. As for wine: Cabernet Sauvignon came out on top, with Josh Cellars’ version proving to be a particular hit with customers.

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