This year was unprecedented–from social distancing to seeing communities come together amidst a pandemic to watching waves of social change take place across the nation. As 2020 comes to an end, today DoorDash unveiled its State of Flavor Report, detailing top food trends this year, predictions around growing support of local communities and trending cuisines, what to expect in 2021, and more.
Using order data from January 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020 and a national consumer survey* of 1,000 Americans, we bring to you the State of Flavor in America.
Top 10 Ordered Items This Year
#Trending: what we predict we’ll see more of in 2021
Top 10 Foods on the Rise:
- Sausage Egg and Cheese on a Biscuit — 2,872% increase
- Create Your Own Omelette — 1,915% increase
- Carrot Cake — 1,633% increase
- Cinnamon Rolls — 1,450% increase
- Caramel Latte — 1,435% increase
- Chocolate Brownies — 1,130% increase
- Black Coffee — 1,124% increase
- Donuts — 902% increase
- Blueberry Muffin — 859% increase
- Biscuits — 741% increase
Top Cuisines on the Rise:
- Taiwanese — 807% increase
- French — 501% increase
- Filipino — 313% increase
- Australian — 308% increase
- Moroccan — 255% increase
*compared ordered behavior from January — October 2020 and January — October 2019
The DoorDash Customer, This Year and Next
- More Time at Home, More Breakfast + Coffee, please: With more Americans at home to abide by social distancing guidelines, we saw an increase in breakfast items ordered in 2020. Iced coffee, Sausage, egg, and cheese, Breakfast burritos, Pancakes, and French toast were amongst the most ordered items on DoorDash in 2020.
- More Healthy, Plant-Based in 2021: 72% of Americans plan to eat healthier in 2021 with nearly half (47%) sharing that they’ll incorporate more plant-based foods into their diets. 18–24 year olds ranked plant-based as the most appetizing vegan dish in this year’s mid-year trend report and vegetarian food trends are still growing in popularity at a steady rate, with Black Bean Tacos seeing a 456% increase, Plant-Based Burgers seeing a 225% increase, and Mushroom Burgers seeing a 195% increase in order frequency this year compared to 2019 data.
- Every Flavor Welcome: DoorDash’s customers celebrate diverse flavors. The top cuisines ordered in 2020 included Mexican, Chinese, and Tex-Mex while top cuisines on the rise include Taiwanese (807% increase), French (501% increase), Filipino (313% increase), and Australian (308% increase).
- Food Delivery Saved 2020: 93% of Americans ordered delivery in 2020; 54% shared that they spent more on delivery this year than in past years.
- $3,235: the largest amount spent on one single food order in 2020 included thin crust pizza, tomato basil soup, grilled cheese, bbq chicken pizza, cobb salad, roasted veggies, & more–yum!
Empowering Local Economies
Strong majorities of Americans plan to order more from Black-owned, Women-owned, and local restaurants in 2021.
- 80% of Americans made an effort to order more from their favorite local small businesses in 2020, and 84% plan to make an effort to order more from local small businesses to support them in 2021.
- Of those that ordered delivery in 2020, half (50%) made an effort to order more from Black-owned restaurants. 58% plan to make an effort to order from more Black-owned restaurants in 2021. Additionally, in October 2020, DoorDash saw a 2,417% increase in the frequency of searches for Black-owned businesses in the US compared to May 2020.
- 60% of Americans plan to make an effort to order more from Women-owned restaurants in 2021. 25% plan to make a significant effort.
We look forward to seeing what our customers are up to next year. Be sure to share any of your own 2021 food predictions with us on social @DoorDash.
*This sample of 1,000 US adults was surveyed between November 6, 2020 and November 7, 2020. The margin of error is 3.1% and gender was weighted evenly in the sampling process. DKC Analytics conducted and analyzed this survey with a sample procured using the Pollfish survey delivery platform, which delivers online surveys globally through mobile apps and the mobile web along with the desktop web.
The State of Flavor In America was originally published in DoorDash on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.