Uber Eats releases second SA Cravings Report

These include an order of 1x cappuccino made with low-fat milk, 2¾ teaspoons of xylitol sugar without cream and dusted with cinnamon in the shape of a leaf.

Tomato remains the most requested item to be left off any meal, with more than 70,000 orders asking for its immediate removal. Three thousand whole onions were spared the same fate, as the vegetable was the next most removed item, followed by pickles.

While thousands of orders left off all trimmings and garnishes, South Africans do love some extras. The most requested addition to any order was that of extra sauce, with chilli being among the most popular. Mayonnaise, however, was the least popular.

Nice and spicy

Over 5,000 orders were made in the ‘hot’ category, while at least 1,300 went a step further and requested ‘extra hot’. Medium to mild was less of a crowd-pleaser but still performed well for those who prefer sweet over spicy.

More than 4,000 requests were made to not include cheese, and a percentage of these were on pizza - though these same orders also asked for a gluten-free base and dairy-free toppings.

Uber Eats said intriguing order combinations included dairy-free coffees topped with fresh cream, and mild wraps with extra chillies.

Healthier eating

The allergy-friendly filter was a popular feature with thousands of orders made via this specific filter.

During the nationwide lockdown, Uber Eats said it noticed a shift towards the adoption of healthier eating. Meat was commonly swapped for vegetarian-friendly options, while there was a strong increase in vegan orders placed.

The keyword ‘healthy’ grew by an astonishing 82% while overall healthy orders increased by 71%. The Poke Bowl (with extra seasoning sauce) was the top healthy order.

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Traditional cuisine

'Local is lekker' has never been more true, said Uber Eats, with over 1,000 orders made with the request to swap out classic starch like rice, for traditional pap. Atchaar remains the most ordered traditional extra with orders including braaied meat, kotas and pizzas.

Bunny chows and curries reigned supreme in traditional cuisine, followed by Chinese stir-fries and Thai-infused woks. Mogodu (tripe) is also being ordered more regularly as the app onboards more traditional restaurants.

Ps and Qs

When it comes to special order requests, South Africans keep it classy and polite, said Uber Eats. South Africa ranks in at number three globally on the app’s statistics when it comes to using “please” and “thank you” on comments and requests.