Ivan Brown Ordering through Uber Eats is a quick way to satisfy your most peculiar cravings — no judgment, no awkward stares, just you and your edible experiments. But thanks to the platform’s sixth annual Uber Eats Cravings Report, we now have a glimpse into some of the most bizarre food combinations and quirky requests of 2024.
“We’ve uncovered the most popular, unusual, and downright wacky delivery requests,” said Sara Harrell, Senior Data Scientist at Uber Eats. According to Harrell, people love taking advantage of customization features to create orders that are as unique as their taste buds.
The Wildest Combos of 2024
Some pairings sound like culinary daredevilry: scallops with boiled eggs, fajitas with French onion soup, fried fish sticks paired with green tea, pepperoni pizza topped with anchovies, and orange creamsicles dusted with Tajín. While one person’s “yuck” may be another’s “yum,” these combos have certainly turned heads.
But not every meal was a creative experiment. Uber Eats also revealed the year’s most popular delivery combos, including:
- Chicken tenders and fries
- Ramen with a soft-boiled egg
- Cheeseburgers with diced onion
- Burrito bowls with guacamole
- Salad and bread
Unique Requests: From Extra Cheese to “Wet” Sandwiches
Customization wasn’t just about pairings — some customers went all-in with their specific demands:
- One green onion fan pleaded, “Can I have 20 times the amount of green onions, please? Charge me extra.”
- A cheese lover requested, “Add maximum cheese. Also, extra mayo. Thank you!”
- A particularly saucy request demanded a sandwich dunked in sauce until it “falls apart,” with an extra cup of juice on the side.
Pregnancy cravings made their mark, too, with one customer asking for bread toasted to a “burnt-ish” taste, while another wanted every topping imaginable — jalapeños, grilled peppers, onions (both raw and cooked), beans, lettuce, tomatoes, guacamole, and lots of sour creams.
Some orders came with heartfelt reasons, like one customer who wanted minimal seasoning for their grandmother and another who asked for a ketchup overload because “my wife loves it.”
The Top Food Trends of 2024
When it came to the most popular orders overall, Americans leaned on comfort classics:
- Most ordered items: burrito bowls, fries, chicken nuggets, chicken sandwiches, and cheeseburgers
- Most frequent grocery item: bananas
- Favorite late-night snack: a medium order of fries
Alcohol orders also topped the charts, with Tito’s Handmade Vodka claiming the No. 1 spot, followed by sangria, Corona Extra, and Michelob Ultra. Food and alcohol pairings were a hit, with favorites like frozen margaritas and steak, margaritas on the rocks with tacos, and beer with hot dogs.
A Peek Into Personal Preferences
The most common customizations showed simplicity still reigns supreme:
- Top U.S. requests: no onions, no tomato, extra sauce, spicy, and well-done orders.
Uber Eats’ Cravings Report gives us a glimpse into how far people will go to personalize their food, proving once again that there’s no such thing as a “normal” craving. Whether it’s scallops and boiled eggs or just fries at midnight, there’s something for everyone.
