Big Game food trends: DoorDash data reveals how America eats on game day
Lifestyle
Audio By Carbonatix
2:40 PM on Friday, January 16
By Cristen Milliner for DoorDash, Stacker
Big Game food trends: DoorDash data reveals how America eats on game day
On the biggest Sunday of the year, the game is only half of the excitement. The other half? The spread. With over 5.7 million orders placed on its platform the day of the Big Game last year, DoorDash data shows what actually made it to watch parties, from restaurant favorites to the grocery items that fueled game-day menus.
Here’s how America ate on championship Sunday in 2025.
Key Highlights
- Big Game Sunday was the #1 day of the year in 2025 for chicken wing orders at restaurants and guacamole orders at grocery stores.
- DoorDash orders peaked during the pre-game last year with about 155 orders per second.
- Chicken wings clinched the title for the most ordered dish on game day.
- Grocery orders for Lit’l Smokies sausages skyrocketed over 3,600% compared to the daily average, making pigs in a blanket the undisputed DIY champion.
Clinching The #1 Most-Ordered Favorite
DoorDash crunched the numbers to see which fan favorite claimed the title for most ordered game day item.
- The Wing King: Championship Sunday is the #1 day for restaurant chicken wings based on DoorDash orders for the year, up at least nearly 25% more than any other day. In fact, over 639,000 wing orders were placed. At an estimated six wings per order, that’s over 3.8 million wings, enough to give every resident of Buffalo, New York (the birthplace of Buffalo wings) about 14 wings each.
- The Pizza Play: Pizza was the runner-up with over 637,000 pizza orders — enough pizza orders to feed a sold-out Levi’s Stadium crowd nearly 10 times.
The Great Wing Debate
One question has divided households and tailgates alike: bone-in or boneless? Based on orders of traditional wings (excluding tenders and nuggets), bone-in wins in a blowout. In fact, 44 of 50 states ordered more bone-in wings than boneless on the day of the Big Game. The outliers: Iowa, Idaho, New Hampshire, Nevada, and the Dakotas.
DoorDash also dug into regional flavor favorites to see which sauces and seasonings are each state’s go-to.
- Bringing the Heat: The classic buffalo flavor dominated the map, ranking as the #1 choice in 39 states like New York, Hawai’i, Washington, Massachusetts, Alabama, and Louisiana.
- Game Time Decision: Some prefer to control the sauce themselves, opting for plain wings across nine states, including California, Florida, Texas, and Alaska.
- Hometown Hero: Georgia stayed true to its roots, opting for lemon pepper wings, proving Atlanta’s iconic flavor still runs the wing game in the state.
- Southwest Pick: Only New Mexico chose ranch-flavored wings as its go-to.
Slice Stats: How America Tops It
When it came to pizza orders, pepperoni was the leading topping across 39 states. In contrast, the Northeast kept it classic in 11 states, including Maine, New York, Vermont, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, opting for cheese as their number one pizza preference.
Beyond the basics, DoorDash looked at which toppings over-indexed in specific regions compared to the national average to uncover the true local toppings quirks at the watch party that make every state unique.
- Midwest Meat Sweep: The Midwest kept it classic, savory, and pepperoni-adjacent as sausage pizza led 10 states, including Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Wisconsin.
- Hawaiian Lovers: The West said yes to pineapple on their pizza, standing out in six states, including Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington, proving they’re unbothered by the judgment.
- Minimalist Slice: White pizza was the unique pick in four states, including Colorado, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut, home of the legendary New Haven pizza.
- Coastal Catch: Seafood-topped pizza took the lead in three states on the East Coast, including Maryland, New Jersey, and New York, and one in the Great Lakes region, Michigan.
The Side Hustle: America’s MVP Appetizer
DoorDash tracked the most popular appetizer to crown last year’s most-craved appetizer and there is a clear winner, but also a few massive upsets in the bracket on apps ordered most on game day.
- The Champion: Loaded fries cemented themselves as the backbone of the American watch party. The cheesy, bacon-topped app took the #1 spot in 34 states from California and Texas to Illinois and Hawai’i.
- Plot Twist: In a surprising upset of the season, dumplings were a top choice across 10 states on game day, including New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Colorado. Meanwhile, egg rolls and spring rolls were the go-to in four states, including Alaska, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia.
- Solo Stars: Some states played their own game. New Jersey opted for mozzarella sticks and Arkansas for queso.
The Home Chef Playbook: Grocery Spikes
Many fans turned to the virtual grocery aisles to cook up their own spreads, making Game Day Sunday the #1 day of the year for guacamole orders. And compared to the 2025 daily average, the spikes in apps and dips were undeniable.
- Fingerfood Favorite: Pigs in a blanket dominated DIY menus with Lit’l Smokies mini sausages up 3,600%, and Nathan's Beef Franks in Puff Pastry up 930%.
- The Dip Dynasty: With Tostitos Scoops spiking 2,300%, it’s clear the dip is the destination.
- Classic Buffalo Chicken: Fans were adding Frank's RedHot (+2,000%), Swanson Premium Chunk Chicken (+810%) and Hidden Valley Ranch (+790%).
- Spicy Queso Kick: For those bringing the heat, Ro-Tel (+1,400%), Mezzetta Deli-Sliced Tamed Jalapeño Peppers (+890%), and Heinz Chili Sauce (+820%) saw massive jumps, combined with the demand for Velveeta (+867%).
America’s Draft Picks
If the halftime performance taught us anything, it’s that some beef is best washed down with a cold one. While Coors Light (+2,200%), Budweiser (+1,600%), and Michelob Ultra (+1,500%) saw massive grocery spikes nationally compared to an average day, DoorDash also looked at which brands dominated fridges and coolers where alcohol delivery is available and permitted.
- The Light Heavyweight: Michelob Ultra led unique beer orders across 12 states, including Texas, Florida, and Arizona.
- Lime Required: Corona came out on top across eight states, including New York, Connecticut, and Hawai’i.
- The Mountain High: Coors Light was the top pick in six states, including Colorado, Minnesota, and Wyoming.
- The Model Citizen: Modelo was the go-to in six states, including California, Illinois, and Nevada.
- Ol’ Reliable: Bud Light topped orders in three states: Georgia, Michigan, and Ohio.
- Local Standouts: A few brands owned a single state. South Carolina opted for Athletic Brewing, West Virginia chose Blue Moon, Iowa went for Busch, Utah grabbed Flying Cauldron, Arkansas picked Heineken and Pennsylvania preferred Miller Lite.
Beyond the traditional brew, the data showed a massive grocery demand for Twisted Tea nationally, with the hard iced tea spiking 1,400%, joining the drink rotation. And to keep everything at the perfect temperature, Arctic Glacier Premium Ice orders shot up 600%, officially turning the classic “ice run” into a couch-only move.
DoorDash data shows that when it comes to game day menus, convenience and customization are no longer mutually exclusive. To make hosting easier, people are ordering both restaurant staples like wings and pizza and grocery add-ons like dips and sides.
Peak Order Times: The ‘Red Zone’ Rush
Sometimes the smartest play isn’t on the field. It’s timing your order so your spread shows up before the coin toss. Last year, the “red zone” rush hit during the pre-game between 6 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET, peaking at 9,300 orders per minute — that’s about 155 orders every second.
Methodology: Insights are based on ordering data on Feb. 9, 2025, and reflect approximate figures. Unless otherwise noted, all percentage increases compare Game Day (Feb. 9, 25) volume against the 2025 daily average, based on total grocery orders for 2025.
This story was produced by DoorDash and reviewed and distributed by Stacker.
