Consumers give AI a thumbs up when it comes to making food and drink recommendations on delivery orders, but don’t try to put a robot in the kitchen.
That was the sentiment expressed in the 2025 DoorDash Delivery Trends Report released Thursday, based on a survey of 1,500 Americans earlier this year. Mindful drinking, jumping on a viral sensation and generational differences in guilty pleasures are also on the rise.
But some trends are repeats of years past. When choosing a new restaurant for delivery, the top considerations for most consumers remain the same: menu selection (61%), menu pricing (55%) and recommendations from family and friends (53%).
French fries are still the top-ordered item for delivery, as they have been year-after-year. But the latest survey shows a shift toward global comfort foods. Garlic naan rose to the No. 2 spot, with tacos, pad Thai and miso soup rounding out the Top 5, in that order.
Here are some of the more surprising findings from the 2025 report:
• 52% of diners are open to AI personalizing recommendations from restaurants or apps based on their past orders.
• Only 15% fully trust robots or automated food assembly systems to prepare a restaurant meal— although men are twice as likely as women to be comfortable with robotic chefs. The human touch is still a selling point in a restaurant kitchen.
• 98% of consumers say they order delivery to satisfy a craving, and 20% are ordering restaurant delivery more often than last year.
• When choosing a new restaurant for delivery, 67% of Boomers prioritize pricing, while Gen Z leans into food photos (46%), social media (27%) and influencer recs (20%).
• 74% of Gen Zers and 69% of Millennials have ordered a restaurant item after seeing it go viral on social media. But of those, only 40% thought it was worth the hype.
• 42% of survey respondents are ordering alcohol for delivery more often than they did in 2024—but there’s a growing emphasis on mindful drinking.
• 80% of people who ordered alcohol delivery ordered low- or non-alcoholic drinks in in the past six months—more than double 2024 figures.
• Guilty pleasures vary by generation. Gen Z and Millennials gravitate towards fast food, especially burgers, while Gen X prefers pizza. Baby Boomers have a sweet tooth, going straight to desserts, including cake and ice cream.
"Consumers are ordering to satisfy cravings, join cultural moments, and express their lifestyle—whether that’s indulging in dessert, exploring new health rituals or trusting tech to inspire their next meal,” said Cristen Milliner, consumer trends expert at DoorDash, in a statement. “For merchants, these insights offer fresh ways to connect with customers where they are: hungry, curious and increasingly online."
The DoorDash Delivery Trends Report survey was conducted by Dynata on behalf of DoorDash between Feb. 25 and March 3, 2025, surveying 1,504 U.S.-based people from a variety of ages, careers, and income levels.
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