The rise of food delivery apps was given extra fuel over the pandemic when restaurants were forced to close their doors to diners.
But even though restrictions have been lifted, Albertans’ appetites for door-to-door food drops haven’t eased.
And to end the year, some of the major delivery companies have compiled lists highlighting some of the big food ordering trends in our province and across Canada.
From mouth-watering mainstays to outstanding appetizers, even orders of the alcoholic variety, there’s quite an eclectic mix when it comes to our ordering habits.
Butter chicken reigns supreme when it comes to SkipTheDishes orders. The Indian essential continues to reign supreme as one of the most popular dishes across the country, including in Alberta, according to Grace Lozana, VP of strategic development with SkipTheDishes.
“It’s been a top two favourite item for a while on Skip,” says Lozana.
“And, true to form, the classic poutine has also been on the top 10 list in Calgary and Alberta. It’s not surprising — the home of Alberta beef, you always see things like burgers and fries.
A more detailed list from DoorDash shows the three most popular orders in our province were for spinach and cheese dip, chicken cheddar sandwiches and chili chicken.
Calgarians also run on caffeine, coming in third behind Toronto and Vancouver for most coffee orders.
There are also some big spenders in this province.
One Albertan ordered $900 worth of Dom Perignon champagne in 2020 through SkiptheDishes, but this year someone was really ready to party — DoorDash received an order for 40 bottles of wine and 25 packs of beer with the bill coming in at $1,808.
“So I’m not going to say that is the most ordered category, but definitely some of the indulgence that we see from the Calgary biggest spenders,” said Shilpa Arora, Doordash Canada general manager.
We’re also a particular bunch when it comes to our orders. UberEats Canada tracked what came up most often under special instructions — for Calgarians, it’s extra mayo.
Even though pandemic restrictions are all but gone and customers can once again frequent their favourite spots, delivery services say ordering in and ordering often is the trend not just for single meals, but for basically anything you may want to eat.