What Foods and Alcoholic Beverages Are Consumers Ordering Most Online?

Salads and hard seltzers are the most popular items to order for online delivery, trouncing pizzas and beers, according to San Francisco-based DoorDash, which has just released its inaugural “Alcohol Online Ordering Trends Report” and third annual “Restaurant Online Ordering Trends Report.” The reports offer a deep dive into the shifting landscape of consumer online ordering preferences and emerging dining and drinking trends.

DoorDash found that consumers are still seeking convenience as delivery apps have become a part of their regular routines for ordering restaurant food, alcohol, groceries, gifts and more. In 2023, consumers said that they preferred ordering food via third-party apps or websites significantly more than in 2022. With alcohol orders, there was 100%-plus year-over-year growth for pickup and delivery on DoorDash from 2021 to 2022, making delivery the preferred way for consumers to safely buy alcohol. Comfort, convenience, and time-savings are the top reasons for using alcohol and delivery services by shoppers (42%).

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Additional findings from the reports include the following:

• While unsurprisingly, some of the top items ordered on DoorDash in the United States in 2022 were fries, burgers and pizzas, consumers are also branching out and ordering healthier options like salads and tacos, compared with 2021.
• Favorite beverages to order were flavored malt beverages, hard seltzers and hard cider, and there’s been quintuple growth in online delivery ordering of the ready-to-drink cocktail.
• Vodka and tequila were the most popular and fastest-growing alcoholic beverages to buy online for delivery among DoorDash users in 2022, while interest in craft beer has remained strong.
• 18% of those surveyed are ordering on-demand alcohol delivery to save money and are adopting this way of ordering rapidly; for those who order alcohol delivery, almost seven in 10 do so online at least monthly.
• Consumers want the right beverage to go with dinner, since 6 p.m. local time is the most popular time to order alcohol for delivery or pickup, while Fridays and Saturdays are the most popular days to order alcohol for pickup and delivery.

DoorDash’s key takeaway: Consumers’ ordering and consumption habits reveal that the desire for stress-free shopping is a long-term trend.

“The Alcohol Online Ordering Trends Report” was conducted by Material on behalf of DoorDash, surveying 500 U.S.-based people who had used on-demand delivery in the past six months, while “The Restaurant Online Ordering Trends Report” was conducted by Dynata on behalf of DoorDash, surveying 1,525 U.S.-based people representing a range of ages, careers and income levels.