Main Street Finance

There is Shame in the Takeout Game

By Brittany Hawthorne

Here’s how much Americans spend on takeout or food delivery each year

How many times have you planned dinner, but life got in the way? Even if you’re a regimented and disciplined budgeter or meal planner, sometimes things come up. You have to work longer, your son is sick… something like that. So instead of following the carefully planned out kale-and-chicken dish you’d planned, like many other Americans, you probably either drove through a fast-food restaurant’s drive-thru or you dialed your favorite pizza chain as you pulled into your driveway.

Takeout has seriously made our lives and meal planning easier. From UberEats to the pizza shop up the street, it’s easier than ever to have food, ready-made, arrive on our doorstep and consequently our places, but has it helped our finances in any way?

Of course, it hasn’t.

There’s totally some shame in the takeout game. Overall, Americans seem to spend somewhere between $2,000 and $4,000 on takeout annually. So, with that in mind, UberEats took a look at what the most popular takeout foods ordered are across the country based on customer orders.

This is the most popular takeout food in each state:

Atlanta, Georgia: wings
Austin, Texas: poke bowl
Baltimore, Maryland: build-your-own burger
Boston, Massachusetts: two-protein rice bowl
Charlotte, North Carolina: burrito bowl
Chicago, Illinois: build your own salad bowl
Cincinnati, Ohio: burrito
Cleveland, Ohio: burrito
Dallas, Texas: tacos
Denver, Colorado: build your own salad bowl
Houston, Texas: burger
Indianapolis, Indiana: build-your-own burger
Las Vegas, Nevada: ahi tuna
Los Angeles, California: build-your-own protein bowl
Miami, Florida: poke bowl
Minneapolis, Minnesota: Kingston-style jerk chicken
Nashville, Tennessee: burgers from Tavern (a gastropub in midtown)
New Orleans, Louisiana: super burrito
New York, New York: poke bowl
Orlando, Florida: wings from Wings ‘n Things
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: cheesesteaks
Phoenix, Arizona: street tacos
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: the Hangar 1 order from Wings Over Pittsburgh
Portland, Oregon: burritos
San Antonio, Texas: build-your-own burger
San Diego, California: build-your-own salad bowl
San Francisco, California: Chinese fish bowls
Seattle, Washington: build-your-own salad bowl
Tampa Bay, Florida: the “six bowl” (healthy protein bowl) from Eat Fresh Kitchen
Washington, DC: bibimbap

Are you concerned because pizza isn’t on there? UberEats might not necessarily have pizza delivery data because most chains have their own delivery drivers. There is definitely a flaw in the data!

When looking at how much we’re spending on takeout each year, pizza prices need to come into consideration. Especially when the average American adult could spend upwards of $500 on pizza per year, depending on where they live.

It’s interesting to note that Americans’ spending on “food away from home” decreases based on age. While this makes sense, it shows the younger generations are taking advantage of food delivery services, takeout, and pre-made food available to them.

How do you budget your takeout?

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