Midwesterners can’t get enough of these foods during the pandemic, DoorDash says

When the coronavirus pandemic struck earlier this year, many people started ordering take out and delivery from their favorite restaurants in an effort to stay safe and keep their favorite eateries afloat.

Food delivery service DoorDash has determined what foods people have been craving most during the pandemic using order data collected between January 1 and June 30, as well as a food habit survey of more than 2,000 Americans.

In the Midwest, people turned to faithful classics such as macaroni and cheese, hot dogs and chocolate shakes.

DoorDash also broke down the foods most popular among Midwesterners by meal.

• Breakfast: oatmeal, strawberry banana smoothies and bacon, egg and cheese biscuits
• Lunch: Italian beef sandwiches, hot dogs and macaroni and cheese
• Dinner: potstickers, chimichangas and street tacos.
• Late night: French fries, chocolate milkshakes and cinnamon rolls

Nationally, chicken sandwiches and French fries were ordered most often, followed by macaroni and cheese, spicy shrimp tacos, pizza and iced coffee, the site said.

DoorDash also found 40% of customers said they miss Mexican food the most since they began social distancing at home. Seafood followed close behind.

The food delivery service said cravings for comfort food spiked more than 30% over healthier options. People have also been ordering more plant-based options, with meatless burgers seeing a 443% increase the first half of 2020.

Looking ahead, DoorDash said it expects oatmeal, queso blanco, caramel iced coffee and grilled chicken tacos to surge in popularity over the last half of the year.

As for the most expensive order placed during the first six months of 2020?

It cost a whopping $2,578 and included 70 orders of Mediterranean herb chicken, 40 orders of grilled vegetables and 20 cheese plates.

This story was originally published July 27, 2020 at 12:34 PM with the headline "Midwesterners can’t get enough of these foods during the pandemic, DoorDash says."