CHICAGO, Feb. 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Grubhub, the nation’s leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery company, and Match, the world’s largest relationship company, have teamed up to play food Cupid. Their data reveals sushi as the best cuisine choice for people looking to secure a second date and that Americans make more adventurous sushi choices on Valentine’s Day. Additionally, data from Grubhub provides an in-depth look into America’s Valentine’s Day sushi ordering habits.
Prospective couples learn a great deal about one another through their menu ordering habits and restaurant recommendations during the early stages of dating. With this in mind, it made perfect sense for the leaders in the dating and food delivery categories to partner and point Cupid’s arrow in the right culinary direction this Valentine’s Day.
Single Americans should start practicing their chopsticks skills because Match’s sixth annual Singles in America survey reveals that ordering sushi on a first date increases the odds of a second date by an astounding 170 percent. After reviewing Grubhub’s food-order database, it became clear that Americans’ Valentine’s Day sushi meals are filled with more adventurous orders and fish choices than other days of the year.
“Food is a universal experience that brings people together and often elicits significant emotions,” said Sandra Glading, Grubhub spokesperson. “So it’s not surprising that choosing a particular food on a first date can impact someone’s chance for a second date – particularly when that food is such an easily shareable cuisine. We had a lot of fun looking at this data and are hoping it might even help romantic diners secure a second date!”
Ordering off of a sushi menu can be intimidating, especially when trying to impress. Grubhub has compiled key insights from past Valentine’s Day sushi orders to take some of the guesswork away from planning the perfect, palate-pleasing date night menu. The below findings, using data from 2015, reflect the preferences of over 40,000 restaurants and 1,000 U.S. cities.
Which Sushi Rolls Reign Supreme?
One popular Valentine’s Day sushi order is the unagi roll, made with broiled freshwater eel. Unagi is 127 percent more likely to be ordered on Valentine’s Day than any other day of the year. The garlic roll also enjoys a 90 percent spike on Valentine’s Day, in spite of concerns over kiss-worthy breath.
Americans like to experience more unique, exotic flavors on February 14. Below, Grubhub has identified some of the boldest sushi rolls found in Valentine’s Day sushi orders, including:
- Dragon rolls (101 percent*)
- Red dragon rolls (91 percent)
- Caterpillar rolls (88 percent)
- Rock and rolls (74 percent)
- Cheese steak rolls (72 percent)
- Godzilla rolls (61 percent)
- Volcano rolls (56 percent)
*Percentage indicates increase in order volume on Valentine’s Day compared to 2015’s average order volume.
He Said, She Said:
Men and women have differing opinions when it comes to selecting sushi rolls for a meal. For example, data shows that women tend to be more veggie-centric than their male counterparts:
- Women are 214 percent more likely than men to order the garden roll and 153 percent more likely to order the spicy crab roll on Valentine’s Day
- Men play it safe with their sushi orders during a romantic Valentine’s Day meal, ordering spicy yellow tail and salmon skin rolls 71 and 63 percent more often than women, respectively
- Cucumber avocado rolls are ordered by women 138 percent more often than men year-round
- Mango avocado rolls are ordered by women 133 percent more often than men on a typical day
Regional Sushi Ordering Preferences:
No matter where you happen to live in the U.S., Grubhub identified the highest rated rolls and ordering preferences in a variety of key metro areas to ensure you can order for success.
- Bostonians have some unique sushi preferences compared to other cities:
- Hawaii rolls and caterpillar rolls are six times more commonly found in Boston orders than anywhere else in the country
- Fire rolls and Alaskan rolls are five times more commonly found in Boston orders than anywhere else in the country
- Chicagoans have more exotic preferences than other US cities:
- The negi hamachi roll is ordered 25 times more frequently than anywhere else in the country
- Chicago sushi-lovers order ebi tempura rolls 19 times more frequently than counterparts in other American cities
- Denver eaters are 14 times more likely to include a mango roll in their sushi order than other Americans
- On the west coast, Angelenos are 25 times more likely to include salmon sushi in their sushi orders
- Miami locals are seven times more likely to order a salmon tempura roll than the rest of the country
- New Yorkers have varied sushi cravings, both throughout the year and when Cupid is nearby:
- Chicken tempura rolls and spinach rolls are 116 percent and 109 percent, respectively, more likely to appear on Valentine’s Day than on any other day of the year
- Spicy tuna crunch rolls are 31 times more popular than anywhere else in the country
- Peanut avocado rolls are 12 times more likely to be included in a sushi order than in other cities
- What gets Philadelphians in the mood for love? Their own city!
- Philadelphia rolls are 92 percent more likely to be ordered on Valentine’s Day than any other day of the year
- San Franciscans tend to be trailblazers on the sushi ordering scene:
- The lion king roll—which is essentially a California roll wrapped with salmon, baked, and topped off with a special house sauce—is ordered 144 times more often than the rest of the country
- Salmon sashimi is ordered 24 times more often than anywhere else in the country
- A sushi order in Washington D.C. is 35 times more likely to include a spicy crunchy shrimp roll than orders placed anywhere else in the country
To help spread the love, Grubhub and Match are encouraging couples to #OrderInToWin by snapping a photo of their “takeout date” for a chance to win $100 toward Grubhub, just in time for Valentine’s Day. All you have to do is: upload a photo of your takeout order for two, tag @Match and @GrubHub on Instagram and use the hashtag #OrderInToWin from now until Thursday, February 11 for a chance to qualify.
To learn more about Grubhub and its portfolio of brands, please visit http://media.grubhub.com.
About Grubhub
Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB) is the nation’s leading online and mobile food-ordering company. Dedicated to moving eating forward and connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, the company’s platforms and services strive to elevate food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub is proud to work with more than 40,000 restaurant partners in over 1,000 U.S. cities and London. The Grubhub portfolio of brands includes Grubhub, Seamless, AllMenus, MenuPages, Restaurants on the Run, DiningIn and Delivered Dish.
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