Burritos and (very) hot sauce: this dynamic duo tops the charts for college students

CHICAGO, June 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — With summer in full swing, Grubhub Campus is revealing dining trends from its more than 270 partnered schools across the country. Findings from the first ever ‘22 – ‘23 Delivered: Campus Edition demonstrate how students’ preferences go way beyond cheeseburgers and pizza. From burritos delivered morning, noon and night, to 1 million orders of waffle fries, college students craved comfort, convenience and heat.

Grubhub is the only food ordering and delivery marketplace that works with campus dining programs to give students the ability to integrate meal plans directly into their Grubhub account and access restaurants both on- and off-campus for delivery and pickup. As students reset and recharge ahead of the ’23 – ‘24 school year, let’s take a look back at how they fueled up for a year full of studies. 

Breakfast and Beyond, Burritos Satiate Students     

The burrito: a portable, timeless and filling food item – perfect for the on-the-go scholar. On trend with Grubhub’s national ‘22 Delivered findings, burritos were devoured as the number one order among college students. This fan favorite proved to be versatile – a top selection at breakfast with sausage, and in the form of a bowl at lunchtime. 

Top Food Items Ordered Nationwide                                         

1. Burrito 
2. Cheeseburger 
3. Chicken quesadilla 

Most Popular Day and Time to Order                             

Tuesday lunch 

Top Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner Orders  

Breakfast

1. Donut 
2. Sausage burrito
3. Bacon, egg and cheese bagel 

Lunch

1. Burrito bowl
2. Mac and cheese
3. Spicy chicken sandwich 

Dinner

1. Pad thai
2. Boneless wings
3. Miso soup 

Late Night Inferno

Burritos certainly had an impact on late-night orders. This year, the top three most popular late-night add ons brought the heat! Clearly college students are craving spice, with the hottest sauce taking the number one spot.

Top Late-Night Add Ons 

1. Fire sauce 
2. Hot sauce  
3. Mild sauce 

Who is ordering all that hot sauce late at night? Boston University ranked as the number one school with the most late-night orders. Not surprising since Boston was named the city with the most late-night orders from the ‘22 Delivered national report last year. In addition to all of those sauces, students were big fans of french fries and chicken tenders for a nightcap!

Schools with the Most Late-Night Orders 

1. Boston University 
2. Virginia Tech 
3. Case Western Reserve University 

A Walk Down Memory Lane

Whether it’s DIY mac or restaurant mac, students can’t get enough. A comforting bowl of mac and cheese dominated lunchtime orders, coming in second only to the burrito bowl. Students demonstrated their love for this childhood dish by also making it the most ordered convenience store item. Talk about a taste of nostalgia! 

Top Convenience Store Orders

1. Mac and cheese 
2. Ice cream 
3. Steak and cheese taquitos 

Feast of Greens

While burritos, burgers and quesadillas were the most popular orders across all campuses, three schools notably preferred a traditionally healthier fare. Dressing on the side, please! 

Top Salad Ordering Schools

1. University of South Carolina, Columbia 
2. University of Delaware 
3. Auburn University 

Extra Cheese, Please

Whether it’s just a slice or an extra large pie, college students sure love their pizza. From coast to coast, these three schools had a hankering for some cheesy goodness. 

Schools with the Most Pizza Orders

1. California Polytechnic State University
2. North Carolina State University 
3. Colorado State University

But First, Iced Coffee  

With demanding schedules, early classes and finals, it’s no surprise college students consume cup after cup of caffeine. When it comes to their cup of joe, students prefer their caffeine served cold. The top three coffee drinks ordered this past year on campus were all cold beverages. On the rocks, please!

Top Coffee Orders 

1. Cold brew 
2. Vanilla iced coffee
3. Frappuccino

 Balling on a Budget

One thing about college students is that they sure know how to stretch a dollar (or in this case, a nickel). Special shout-out to the student at Auburn University, Montgomery, who placed the smallest order of the school year with 1 order of penny pancakes, costing $0.03. It’s hard to beat that deal!

They See Me Rollin’

Autonomous deliveries are all the rage, and over the last year, Grubhub has partnered with three robot delivery providers — Starship, Cartken and Kiwibot — to offer this delivery to its campus partners. Robot deliveries kept hungry students well-fed, with hand-held favorites ranking as the top three most ordered items.

Most Ordered Items Delivered by Robot

1. Chicken tenders
2. Bagel
3. Burrito

Schools with the Most Robot Deliveries

1. The Ohio State University
2. University of Arizona
3. University of Notre Dame 

Special Instructions

It wouldn’t be like college students not to leave fun delivery notes within their orders. Here are some of our favorites that we think belong in the order notes Hall of Fame (the LOTS OF SAUCE comment is all of us): 

1. CALL me if the door person does not wake up (they may be asleep in their chair but we love them).
2. Leave outside and text me DO NOT GIVE TO SHORT FAT MAN WITH PLATINUM BLONDE HAIR he is my ROOMMATE and he will SAY he is ME do not believe his lies.
3. BLEU CHEESE OR RANCH BUT A LOT OF SAUCE PLEASE I LOVE YOU.
4. Bogart Hall, scream as loud as you can when you get here please.
5. Call me when you arrive. I will stumble out of the building.

That’s a (Burrito) Wrap Until Next Year! 

In addition to students enjoying campus favorites, all students at Grubhub-partnered schools are eligible to receive a free Grubhub+ membership, where they receive unlimited $0 delivery fees on eligible orders*. With this membership, students get access to donation matching on Grubhub+ orders through Grubhub’s Donate the Change program, which raised more than $21 million in 2022. Additionally, all students with an Amazon Prime or Prime Student membership in the U.S. are eligible to receive a free year of Grubhub+, regardless of if their school is affiliated with Grubhub’s Campus Dining program. And, if Prime members sign up by July 5th 2023, they will receive an extra year free.

* Additional fees may apply

About Grubhub
Grubhub is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com (LSE: JET, AMS: TKWY), and is a leading U.S. food ordering and delivery marketplace. Dedicated to connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms, and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features more than 365,000 restaurant partners in over 4,000 U.S. cities.