South Africans are ordering more than just quick meals, they are shaping culture, celebrating milestones and saving time, all through a delivery app.
That is one of the key takeaways from the Uber Eats 2025 Cravings Report, which offers a detailed snapshot of how people across the country are eating, shopping and marking special moments.
Insights from EWN point to a strong appetite for familiar favourites, paired with growing creativity in how users curate their orders.
At the top of the menu once again is chicken, which continues to dominate search trends nationwide, as Uber Eats Sub-Saharan Africa general manager Ntsoaki Nsibanyoni said one pairing, in particular, stood out.
‘In terms of the big trends we’ve seen, chicken remains the most craved item on the menu. Pretty much… searches we saw for chicken, nationally, and really curated with pap, stood out as the country’s signature combo,’ she said.
Dessert choices also leaned heavily toward comfort and tradition, as malva pudding led the sweet offerings, with roughly 53,000 orders placed through the platform during the year.
‘We also saw malva pudding leading the dessert menu with about 53,000 orders made on the platform for malva pudding,’ Nsibanyoni added.
Beyond individual dishes, the report highlights how food delivery has become woven into daily routines. Some users leaned heavily on the platform, with 1,245 people placing at least 365 orders during 2025, averaging one order a day.
As outlined in the report carried by EWN, consumer behaviour is also shifting when it comes to special occasions. Valentine’s Day, for example, saw users moving beyond standard chocolate boxes.
‘South Africans were very expressive in terms of how they curated their menus this year,’ Nsibanyoni stated.
‘We also saw that during Valentine’s Day… South Africans not only ordered your standard chocolate items, but they also curated bundles. We saw people going into our grocery and retail platform items and really creating bundles for their loved ones.’
She noted that this reflects a broader change in how delivery apps are used.
‘All in all, South Africans were curating their flavours. They showed their cultural diversity through the platform and we really were excited about making sure that we were the platform of choice for South Africans.’
The report also points to the platform’s wider economic role, as it shows that Uber Eats injected about R17 billion into the South African economy this year, while helping users save an estimated 12.7 million hours through what Nsibanyoni described as a growing ‘convenience culture.’
On the supply side, delivery work continued to create income opportunities. One delivery partner completed 8,250 trips over the year, covering close to 48,940 kilometres.
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