Uber Eats Cravings Report shares SA's unique delivery requests

Leave this off

Tomato was the most requested food item to be left of any meal, with a total of over 200,000 orders placed over the last year that asked for the red vegetable to omitted. Sauces finished off in second place, with mayonnaise being voted the least favourite since it was the most requested condiment to be left off. Rounding off the list was garnish items like lettuce and onion being removed from meals.

Local flavour

Some restaurants had to adapt menu items to feed the cravings of locals, with at least 1,000 meals swapping out traditional starch for pap. According to Uber Eats, the local staple is loved so much, that many Eaters are willing to pay an additional restaurant fee to have it delivered with their meal.

Chakalaka and achaar were also commonly used to replace chili relish or BBQ sauce. It seems that the spicier the food the better it is for locals, who have often stated that they prefer hot to extra hot when selecting the level of spiciness. South African flavours are a must and popular local dishes including Kotas and vetkoek featured in the list of favourites. Some orders even request that a tomato base be replaced with a chakalaka base on pizzas.

Uber Eats reveals most popular foods among South Africans

29 Jan 2019

Emotional eaters

Exam periods and test weeks leave students with high-stress levels, that can best be counteracted with slap chips, says Uber Eats. Other emotionally-charging occasions, including graduations, Valentine’s Day and Premier League Weekends, were also when the app experienced an influx in orders.

No barks, no bites

At least 200 orders specifically stated that their dog does in fact not bite, and the delivery partner is welcome to come into the yard.

For any fear experienced by the barking dogs, it was easily made up because Uber Eats says many requests were received asking the restaurant to give parts of their order like chips, coffee and rolls to the delivery partner when the order is picked up, so that they may enjoy it while still warm.