Trends & Insights

AI-Picks and Chill Drinks: New DoorDash Survey Data Unpacks What Diners Really Want in 2025

Latest insights showcase the dining habits shaping generations, helping merchants reach more customers in today’s digital world

May 15, 2025
2 min read
doordash lifestyle image hot bag

Today, we’re excited to announce the DoorDash Delivery Trends Report, an annual report that uncovers the latest consumer trends in dining and delivery in 2025.* This year’s insights are based on a nationally representative survey of U.S. consumers, providing a snapshot of how people think about food, drink, and convenience today.

Among the biggest shifts this year? From AI-recommended dishes and a rise in low- and no-alcohol beverages to the grip of viral food trends, diners are not only looking for a simple meal in a pinch, but also seeking out a delivery experience that matches their habits, digital and IRL aesthetics, and more.

“What we’re seeing in the 2025 DoorDash Delivery Trends Report is that DoorDash has become more than just a convenience – it’s a reflection of how people live, connect, and discover today," said Cristen Milliner, Consumer Trends Expert at DoorDash. "Consumers are ordering to satisfy cravings, join cultural moments, and express their lifestyle – whether that’s indulging in dessert, exploring new health rituals, or trusting tech to inspire their next meal. For merchants, these insights offer fresh ways to connect with customers where they are: hungry, curious, and increasingly online."

Let’s dig into the DoorDash Delivery Trends Report consumer survey data further:

AI Meets Appetite
Consumers are warming up to AI – just not in the kitchen.

  • Algorithms on point: As AI becomes more mainstream, 52% of diners are open to taking AI recommendations from restaurants or apps based on their past orders. Now, AI can introduce you to restaurants you may not have otherwise considered, based on your order history. Can you imagine a future without the daily ‘what’s for dinner?’ dilemma?

  • Keep the chef, skip the robot: Only 15% fully trust AI to prepare a restaurant meal, suggesting that consumers value the human element in the preparation of their meals — although men are twice as likely as women to be comfortable with robotic chefs.

AI food recs asset

Delivery Gets Personal
With 98% of consumers saying they’ve ordered delivery to satisfy a craving, and one in five reporting that they’re ordering restaurant delivery more often than last year, it’s unsurprising that consumers are turning to delivery to access comfort foods or even take part in cultural moments.

  • Guilty pleasures by generation: When asked about their guilty pleasure food delivery orders, Gen Z & Millennials lean toward fast food, while Gen X stay loyal to pizza and Boomers go straight to dessert with cake and ice cream.

  • Scroll, see, order: Dubai Chocolate or a cottage cheese protein bowl, anyone? 74% of Gen Zers and 69% of Millennials have ordered a restaurant item after seeing it go viral on social media.

  • Indulgence on repeat: 35% have ordered food delivery twice in a single day, and 22% have gone back for a third order — all in 24 hours.

cravings stat

Hold the Alcohol, Keep the Ritual
Alcohol delivery is up – with 42% of survey respondents ordering alcohol for delivery more often than they did in 2024 – but consumer preferences around alcohol are evolving, with a growing emphasis on moderation, health, and new rituals.

  • Low-ABV lifestyles gain steam: 80% of people who ordered alcohol delivery ordered low- or non-alcoholic drinks in the past six months — more than double last year’s figure.

  • Zero-proof on the rise: DoorDash orders including non-alcoholic beer rose 82% year-over-year from 2023 to 2024.

  • Dry January, redefined: DoorDash orders with hemp THC beverages and edibles grew 19% and 15% respectively between December 2024 and January 2025.

low alc asset

To read more on the latest delivery, pickup, and online ordering trends and gain access to actionable insights, download the 2025 DoorDash Delivery Trends Report.

*Methodology
The DoorDash Delivery Trends Report survey was conducted by Dynata on behalf of DoorDash between February 25 - March 3, 2025 surveying 1,504 U.S.-based people from a variety of ages, careers, and income levels. Participants were not compensated or incentivized by DoorDash.

In addition to survey data, we analyzed anonymized data from DoorDash to learn how food and alcohol ordering activities and preferences have changed over the past year, or compared to previous years.