Lockdown and loadshedding have been a boon for Uber Eats, it seems.
Less than a decade ago, it would have been hard to imagine that one app could allow us to view so many restaurants near us and bring our food orders to us with lightning speed.
One customer had to wait just 69 seconds for their order in 2023.
The order, for a Fanta Orange, was delivered from a restaurant just 16 metres from the customer’s house, says Uber Eats as it releases some of our interesting spending habits last year in its 2023 Annual Cravings Report.
“Our fourth Annual Cravings report not only provides valuable insights into what foods (and drinks) South Africans crave,” says Daniele Joubert, Head of Consumer Growth, Uber Eats Sub-Saharan Africa.
“It also demonstrates how big a role Uber Eats plays in the lives of ordinary South Africans. In 2024 and beyond, we aim to address even more of their wants and needs and to do so in new and innovative ways.”
Some other fascinating revelations in the report include the customer who, on 13 October, “put in a nearly R14 000 alcohol order. Just 25 minutes later, they put in another order for nearly R19,000 from the same store. That amounts to a total of about R33 000, including tips.” They were the biggest spender on the app for 2023.
When the craving hits, it’s really difficult to ignore, which is why another restaurant had couriers making a trip from the eatery every 11 minutes.
There are also some insights into the tastes of SA Uber Eats users. “While customers using the Uber Eats app searched for the usual fast-food suspects, including pizza, beer, burgers, and sushi, they also demonstrated their love of local foods. Among the most loved South African dishes on the app are pap, malva pudding, chakalaka, bunny chow, gatsbys and boerewors.”
Another Cape Town user was beside themselves with excitement when they found a shisanyama restaurant on the app, saying in their order, “Hey there . . . I’ve beeeen looking for shisanyama in Cape Town. I’m glad I found you.
“Please can I have my meat medium, in case it arrives cold I'll microwave so the cooking will continue. I can't wait to taste the meat. I’m glad you exist. I miss the taste of home in Pretoria. Thank you and sorry for the long message. I said an extra of spinach because I don't have an option to not get it. It’s okay if you don’t put it in, thank you. Also, no starch, just meat. Also, that’s if the restaurant allows not to have some options. but it’s okay also if you keep protocol.”
What a polite order.
Read more | Musa Keys in his bad boy era as he gears up for Grammy award ceremony
But this Cape Town customer is not alone in her courteousness. When it comes to minding our Ps and Qs, some cities are just more polite than others, it seems.
“Johannesburg and Pretoria lead the way when it comes to friendliness on the Uber Eats app. Customers in the two Gauteng cities used ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ the most in orders, followed by Cape Town and the Garden Route.”
When something’s good, it’s good. This is why one loyal customer ordered from the app every single day throughout 2023. Talk about a creature of habit!
Umjolo costs money, as many in the thick of it will tell you. One couple certainly did not mind having date night (almost) every night. “Sometimes couples fall into habits too. One user made 771 orders for two.”
As for the most vegan-friendly city, Cape Town has been dethroned by Johannesburg. “While many South Africans think of Cape Town as the epicentre of vegan eating in South Africa, in 2023 however, Johannesburg overtook it with vegan orders. Users in The City of Gold made 23% more vegan orders than The Mother City.”
Read more | Celebrity widows take back their power in new reality show
Finally, if you think you worked hard in 2023, you’ve got another think coming.
“The delivery person who took the most trips in 2023 took more than 9 000 trips. For perspective, that’s equivalent to circling the earth more than 2,27 times or driving from Cape Town to Johannesburg and back nearly 33 times.
“The hours spent on the road, meanwhile, are equivalent to watching Die Hard more than 781 times!”
