Grubhub Orders Reveal The Trendiest Foods Of 2023

As we look back on a year filled with some stunning limited-time menu items, it makes sense that a lot of those meals found their way into our delivery orders as well. Grubhub has released its annual Delivered Results report for 2023, featuring data on national takeout trends and our ordering habits from across the year. Many of Grubhub's insights remind us of all that we already know about Americans' tastes, but the report also contains some data we didn't see coming.

Starting off with both the classic and the obvious: French fries were the top ordered side dish on Grubhub in 2023. More than 600,000 Grubhub customers ordered their salad with a side of fries this year, proving that, whether you make them at home or order them, fries are the perfect pairing for just about any dish. Just ask Taco Bell fans—this year, Taco Bell brought back its Nacho Fries for the gazillionth time and even introduced a Nacho Fries Lover's Pass for its biggest fans.

We've also been tracking the meteoric rise of pickles, which aren't just having a moment in the spotlight anymore but have instead earned their place in the takeout canon as a commonly enjoyed snack. In fact, pickles saw the largest increase since last year as an individual order, rising 89% to a total of over 6.9 million orders in 2023. Whether enjoyed as a hard seltzer or as a turkey brine, pickles made their mark this year, to the delight of enthusiasts everywhere.

In addition to our desire for dill, fast food chains spotted customers' need for heat—and they certainly delivered on it.In late 2022, we saw the rise of ghost peppers on every menu, and the spicy trend only grew in 2023. Panda Express tested out Chili Crisp Shrimp as a limited-time entree in September, Wendy's layered heat onto its burger and fries, and even outside of fast food, spice reigned supreme. Grocery store shelves were also lined with everything from spicy SpaghettiOs to spicy ketchups.

It's no wonder, then, that condiments like sriracha were added to over 91,000 Grubhub orders. The delivery service also found that 53 million items were ordered with added spice.

One of the more surprising details in the Delivered Results report for 2023 is that dairy had a comeback moment. Gruhub notes a 20% increase in coffee orders that involved dairy, with whole milk taking the biggest lead over 2% and chocolate milk. Considering the milk wars currently raging between the dairy industry and plant-based brands, this is a pretty solid win for fans of cow's milk.

There were some other interesting trends spotted by Grubhub this year, too, including an increase in Diet Coke orders and the mainstream success of the divisive pineapple pizza. As for what each individual diner's takeout habits were like in 2023, Grubhub will be sending every user their own end-of-year report so they can see where their cravings took them—but if you wanted to keep that data to yourself, we wouldn't blame you.