“James de Wall via Getty ImagesThe spicy chicken sandwich reigned supreme in 2020.The year 2020 transformed nearly every aspect of our lives, and some of the more interesting changes involved our eating habits. On Thursday, Grubhub released its annual “Year in Food” report, which presents food trends based on the tens of millions of orders placed on the platform each year.To determine the top foods of the year, the folks at Grubhub compared the orders placed from January to November to those placed during the same timeframe in 2019, and then calculated which items increased in popularity.While last year saw a big rise in plant-based orders, 2020 was (understandably) all about comfort food. The top dish was the spicy chicken sandwich, which saw a 318% increase in popularity. In fact, one Grubhub user placed a single order for 135 chicken sandwiches earlier this year. Spicy chicken sandwich: 318% Chicken burrito bowl: 299% Chicken wings: 287% Waffle fries: 221% Cold brew coffee: 206% Steak quesadilla: 164% Iced latte: 157% Fish and chips: 146% Strawberry shake: 131% Roast beef sandwich: 126% The delivery service shared some other interesting superlatives, including the largest order (300 bean burritos!) and the most popular holiday for delivery (Halloween). The top pizza was Hawaiian, which rose 689% in popularity, and the top French fry style was loaded curly fries, which rose 315%. The garlic mushroom burger rose 637% in popularity, and the eggplant burger was the most popular plant-based meat alternative.The “Year in Food” report also includes lists of the top five orders for breakfast, late night, dessert and side dishes in 2020. Again, comfort food reigned supreme, but people are also interested in a healthy start with açai bowls and strawberry banana smoothies.Take a closer look below:Breakfast Açai bowl: 353% more popular Frozen mocha: 336% more popular Chorizo burrito: 304% more popular Potato pancake: 264% more popular Strawberry banana smoothie: 216% more popular Late Night Strawberry cheesecake: 303% more popular Jalapeño popper: 277% more popular Pizza puff: 232% more popular Buffalo chicken pizza: 226% more popular Cinnamon rolls: 210% more popular Side Dishes French fries: 629% more popular Onion rings: 566% more popular Gluten-free tater tots: 544% more popular Thai chili brussel sprouts: 389% more popular Elote: 375% more popular Dessert Apple pie: 330% more popular Hot fudge sundae: 273% more popular Caramel creme brulee: 137% more popular Italian ice: 129% more popular Chocolate chip cannoli: 109% more popular Visit Grubhub for more information about these findings, as well as other rankings such as top beverages, top plant-based foods and more.
