What Americans Ordered Most for Delivery in 2021, According to Uber Eats

Groceries and alcohol have become some of the most popular delivery requests in 2021, two trends that were adopted during the pandemic and are likely here to stay, according to an Uber Eats report shared with Travel + Leisure.

Americans ordered everything from bananas (the #1 selling grocery item in the United States) to large margaritas and White Claw variety packs, according to the delivery service's Uber Eats Cravings Report. And Americans turned to pharmacies and convenience stores like 7-Eleven to order practical things like Tylenol, COVID-19 antigen self-test kits, and — perhaps less practical — blue raspberry Slurpees right to their doors.

"Over the last twelve months, our customers have relied on Uber Eats to order sandwiches, sunflowers, screwdrivers, and everything in between," Lexi Levin Mitchel, a spokeswoman for Uber, told T+L. "And we know that there is nothing better than having your order delivered exactly as you'd envisioned — no matter how unique it may be. So whether you've got a hankering for watermelon with yellow mustard, or you're in need of bandaids and baby formula, you really can get anything with Uber Eats."

When it came to restaurant food Uber Eats users went for comfort as cheese fries exploded in popularity increasing more than 1,234%, compared to before the pandemic.

The most popular type of food overall was Mexican cuisine, followed by burgers and sandwiches, and Chinese food. While the most popular items were French fries (especially on Fridays), that was followed by pad Thai and garlic naan.

Picky eaters also seemed to become more prevalent in 2021 with requests for things like "no egg," "no jalapeños," and "no cilantro," increasing dramatically over the last year. But nowhere was that more true than Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and Georgia where customers most often added special instructions to their orders.

Of course, there was no shortage of unique order requests in 2021, including one customer who asked for a very specific construction of a granola parfait and told the restaurant "I hope you're excited because you're about to create a masterpiece." And another who asked for their food so spicy they wanted the restaurant to "Make me cry… Please make me hurt. Make extra extra extra burning super super hot and spicy!!!"

Alison Fox is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure. When she's not in New York City, she likes to spend her time at the beach or exploring new destinations and hopes to visit every country in the world. Follow her adventures on Instagram.