CHICAGO, Aug. 19, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With class
back in session for students across the country, GrubHub Inc., the
nation's leading online and mobile food-ordering service, teamed up
with Spoon University, an online food publication and community for
college students, to unwrap collegiate takeout habits. Together,
they confirmed that drastic differences in eating habits exist
between college students and the general population, especially
when it comes to caffeine and ordering hours.
For a comprehensive understanding of student diners, GrubHub
analysts examined orders placed by students from hundreds of
college campuses during the 2013-2014 school year. While some of
the data confirms that traditional takeout foods like pizza, wings
and salads are popular across the board, other findings highlight
the differences between student diners and average GrubHub diners.
The analysis shows that college diners:
- Caffeinate creatively: Energy drinks
are 83 percent more commonly ordered by college diners, while
coffee is 15 percent less commonly ordered.
- Start the day later: Early-morning
orders (between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.)
are 66 percent less common for college diners.
- Keep it cool: Spicy orders are 26
percent less common among college students than non-college
diners.
- Embrace being omnivores: Vegetarian
and vegan orders are 25 percent less common among college
diners.
- Ask for the works: Even as restaurants
look to add healthier options to their menus, healthy substitutions
and special requests are still 23 percent less common for college
diners.
- Skip the sweets: Dessert orders are 18
percent less common among college diners.
- Burn the midnight oil: Late-night
orders (placed between 10 p.m. and 2
a.m.) are 100 percent more common among college diners.
"The habits displayed by college diners, and the takeout
restaurants that cater to this population, help illustrate the
inherent differences between college culture and the rest of the
nation," said GrubHub Inc. president, Jonathan Zabusky. "It's great to see that
students take advantage of GrubHub's convenience and flexibility to
help fuel college life."
Takeout Preferences of College Students
In addition
to identifying key trends in college takeout, GrubHub's analysis
shows that certain foods are ordered by college students more than
the typical GrubHub diner, with traditional takeout favorites like
Italian and Chinese ranking highest.
- Calzone – 150 percent more commonly ordered
- Chicken with Broccoli – 114 percent more commonly ordered
- General Tso's Chicken – 92 percent more commonly ordered
- Sesame Chicken – 88 percent more commonly ordered
- Dumplings – 62 percent more commonly ordered
- Wings – 56 percent more commonly ordered
- Chicken Parmesan – 36 percent more commonly ordered
- Sweet and Sour Chicken – 34 percent more commonly ordered
- Wonton Soup – 19 percent more commonly ordered
- Fries – 19 percent more commonly ordered
"With school and social calendars booked around-the-clock,
college students often find themselves without the time or
ingredients (not to mention a kitchen) to prepare food for
themselves – so ordering takeout is a huge part of their
lifestyles," said Spoon University co-founder, Mackenzie Barth. "It's no surprise that students
order comfort foods at home and in the dorms, but as they learn
more about the options available for takeout, we expect to see them
making healthier and more adventurous choices when ordering from
GrubHub."
Leading the Pack in Campus Order Habits
In
addition to profiling the college diner, GrubHub and Spoon
University have delved into the unique takeout habits of campuses
across the country. To see how your favorite college stacks up,
check out GrubHub and Spoon University's college rankings,
here.
To find takeout restaurants available in your area, please visit
GrubHub.com, and for more information on GrubHub Inc., please visit
media.grubhub.com.
About GrubHub Inc.
GrubHub Inc. (NYSE: GRUB) is
the nation's leading online and mobile food ordering company
dedicated to connecting hungry diners with local takeout
restaurants. The company's online and mobile ordering platforms
allow diners to order directly from approximately 30,000 takeout
restaurants in more than 700 U.S. cities and London. Every order is supported by the
company's 24/7 customer service teams.
About Spoon University
Spoon University is a food
media company with a focus on college students, building
communities on college campuses nationwide. Spoon has chapters at
40 universities with over 1,000 students contributing to local
editorial and marketing teams. Spoon's mission is to help students
eat intelligently while empowering them to build, lead, maintain
and market their own online publications.
SOURCE GrubHub Inc.