Grubhub Reveals Top C-store Purchases of 2024
CHICAGO — Retailers made the most of their diverse offerings on Grubhub throughout the year.
According to Grubhub's annual "2024 Delivered Report," made-to-order hotdogs, bananas and sodas topped the list as the most popular items ordered from convenience stores in 2024. Additionally, Dr Pepper took the lead as the most-ordered soda from c-stores.
Grubhub's annual report offers a deep dive into customer ordering trends and behaviors by analyzing orders placed throughout the year. Other insights uncovered include:
Up the Protein
Chicken ruled this year, being included in nearly 40% of all Grubhub restaurant orders. The protein was also part of Grubhub grocery store orders almost three times as often as beef.
Extra protein was extra desirable with 15% of Grubhub Chipotle orders including double protein.
Cottage cheese had a social media-fueled renaissance. Customers embraced the protein-packed dairy, transforming trending dishes like cottage cheese toast and flatbreads. This year, Grubhub delivered more than 1 ton of cottage cheese orders to customers. That's more than 2,000 pounds of cottage cheese, the delivery service calculated.
The top five cities using curds and whey in the most creative ways are:
- New York City
- Los Angeles
- Chicago
- San Francisco
- Boston
Buzzing for Espresso
Grubhub espresso orders spiked the week of June 22, right as the hit song "Espresso" by Sabrina Carpenter topped the charts. To top it off, customers added more espresso shots to their orders than in 2023. Grubhub delivered nearly 15,000 unique variations of lattes alone this year.
The top five cities ordering the most espresso were:
- Miami
- Los Angeles
- Denver
- Boston
- New York
Briny Popularity
Pickles continued to rise in popularity with a 14% increase in overall orders. This came as no surprise as people made the most of their pickle passions — whether as a bread substitute for cold-cut sandwiches or using its distinctive juices to sour their sodas, according to Grubhub.
Mexican Cuisine Was More Than Taco Night
Mexican cuisine stole the show as the most popular international cuisine for Grubhub customers across the country. Nearly 1.3 million birria orders were placed.
Maximizing In-office Perks
Thanks to return-to-office policies and trends like coffee badging, corporate ordering made a big comeback. This year, Grubhub saw a 53% increase in corporate coffee orders.
But coffee isn't the only workplace routine that made a statement this year. "Chipotle Boys" shook up the lunch scene, turning the burrito bowl into the ultimate workday staple. As a result, burrito bowls spiked as the office lunch choice with corporate Chipotle lunch orders increasing by 27% on Grubhub.
Caffeine Boost
This year, energy drinks trended as a caffeine sidekick and coffee alternative. College students powered through midterm season with February seeing the highest energy drink orders across college campuses, up nearly a third compared to other months. Additionally, the East Coast did the most when it came to caffeine orders on Grubhub. These were the top five colleges that ordered the most coffee:
- Pace University (New York)
- West Chester University of Pennsylvania
- Syracuse University (New York)
- University of Rochester (New York)
- Rowan University (New Jersey)
Alternatively, these were the five schools that were the most decaffeinated:
- Fordham University (New York)
- California State University Fullerton
- University of Massachusetts Lowell
- University of Illinois Chicago
- Washington University
In 2024, America embraced the power of peaceful slumber with a surge in decaf orders, marking a 5% boost in caffeine-free choices nationwide. A whopping 21% of those decaf orders were placed after lunch, making the 2 p.m. coffee break a mindful ritual rather than a caffeine-fueled habit, Grubhub said.
The Swicy Movement
The combination of sweet and spicy wasn’t just a trend, but a movement. Hot honey purchases surged by 30% in Grubhub grocery stores orders, proving that Americans were all in on swicy, pairing it with everything from fried chicken to French fries.
Ordering In
Travelers ditched their nights on the town for hotel room meals, with 60% of all hotel delivery orders occurring during dinner time. Additionally, wine pairings at dinner, champagne for breakfast in bed or a six-pack of seltzers to go — adult beverages helped make hotel room stays extra special. These cities placed the most alcohol orders to their hotel:
- Virginia Beach
- Chicago
- New York
- Washington, D.C.
The Hostess With the Mostest
2024 was a big year for at-home entertaining, and Grubhub users were all about socializing with guests over prepping in the kitchen. When it came to feeding the crowd, they called in reinforcements, ordering more than 1.6 million family meals from their favorite popular restaurants.
Grubhub is a leading U.S. food ordering and delivery marketplace. The platform features 375,000 merchants in more than 4,000 U.S. cities.