Leading online food delivery provider foodpanda announced the most-ordered food items from its app in 2021, with hamburgers and other fast-food staples coming out on top.
The results, taken from data on thousands of foodpanda partner vendors across 150 cities and municipalities in the country, reveal that the top three most ordered food items from foodpanda in 2021 were hamburgers, fried chicken and spaghetti, items found on the menus of many fast-food restaurants and mom-and-pop stores on foodpanda’s platform.
According to the company, the results serve as an indicator of Filipinos’ increasingly fast-paced and home-based lifestyles during the new normal.
Easy to order, quick to deliver
“Since 2020, as more people started working and attending school from home, we’ve seen how the demand for safe and quick food delivery has skyrocketed. And as Filipinos’ lifestyles and daily routines become more fast-paced than ever, they often rely on food that is easy to consume, even on the go,” said Daniel Marogy, managing director of foodpanda Philippines.
Marogy also explained that foodpanda customers’ most preferred time to order— lunch time, from 11AM up to 1PM— may be another indicator of Filipinos’ need for speed and convenience.
“I think all of us has experienced this, even before the pandemic—you’re swamped at work, or busy with schoolwork or with the kids, and before you know it, lunch time comes and there is no food on the table,” he said.
“So I think even more so than dinner time, when people might have a bit more time to prepare and cook food after their workday, it is that lunch time window during midday that people tend to need our services more.”
Pinoys’ taste buds are expanding
Even as many foodpanda customers chose fast food dishes as their go-to meals in 2021, Marogy also noted how consumers’ palates have also widened as more food choices became available for delivery.
“We have really seen a remarkable increase in the number of restaurants, both big and small, that have joined us in the last two years, and it has resulted in a wide array of cuisines and dishes for customers to choose from,” Marogy remarked.
“So we can say that Filipinos’ taste buds are expanding as well in terms of trying new things, whether it’s a new foreign dish, healthy meal alternatives, or simply a new restaurant that they haven’t tried.”
Quick commerce continues to be in demand
Marogy added that the company sees the demand for quick commerce—or the fast and convenient delivery of goods such as food and groceries— to remain, as many Filipinos continue to prioritize convenience as well as safety when it comes to necessities.
“Even as restrictions are now loosening as cases continue to thankfully go down, we anticipate that many people will continue to need fast and safe delivery of goods,” Marogy said.
“foodpanda, along with our hardworking fleet of thousands of Ka-panda riders across the country and our thousands of valued partner vendors, are ready to keep serving the needs of our customers, and in promoting their safety and welfare,” he added.