ORDER! ORDER! ORDER! The credit crunch bite has not eaten a hole in the pockets or home takeaway eating habits of the Great British public, according to research by online food takeaway group – Meal2Go.com – whose year-long study of 165,000 online meal orders from 700 takeaways in London and Birmingham, reveals that various chicken meals followed by pizza and then chips are the top takeaway temptations for food lovers in both cities.
Individual chicken items ordered on line from takeaway menus in London and its suburbs, showed that 31% of those orders specified chicken as the main dish whether the meal was Indian, Chinese, Italian, Mexican or American, this figure measured 24% in Birmingham, but still represented a quarter of the total orders made by Brummies and their online London counter-parts. It appears chicken’s popularity lies in its variety and ability to tempt taste buds in a limitless list of menu favourites ranging from baltis to barbeques.
Both cities have fallen in love with the ‘tear and share’ aspect of takeaway pizza, which accounts for 18% of individual items ordered on line in London and 12% in Birmingham. According to the research, pizza is particularly popular with couples who grab a ‘pizza’ of the action at home and like the caring-sharing quality of the whole meal thing as it can be broken down into bites size ‘pizzas’ – making it ideal for a quiet night in with a movie. Couples also prefer to order half and half variations, for example, a meat feast and a less spicy or vegetarian option to partner the meal, which can be topped up with a side salad and glass of wine.
Meanwhile chips or fries were more popular in Birmingham where 22% of all individual items ordered included chips or fries, Londoners were less likely to include this Great British tradition on their home deliveries choosing instead spicy or barbeque influenced culinary delights, 16.5% of all order.
The sexes do make different choices with their takeaway treats when it comes to healthy eating at home. Women order more vegetarian meals and salads with meals while lads still like their traditional gender grub of chicken and chips or burger and chips. Another significant influence on orders can be television and weather. Orders rise by 20 per cent on a Saturday night when the X Factor is screened or when a major sporting event is scheduled – England games, The Ashes, Six Nations Rugby or the Olympics. The weather is also a factor – as summer sees more barbeque meals and ice cream ordered but winter sees a return to traditional home takeaway choices.
Online orders are also popular with students, youngsters and office or home workers. The ‘hand to mouse’ appeal of the takeaway means quick, convenient food in a matter of minutes without the fuss of cooking and washing up afterwards. Meal deals are the number one hit with students, but again women choose healthy options – side salads etc – while male students mostly order cheap and cheerful.
The research was undertaken over a 12 month period from November 2008-09 and although many takeaways close on Christmas Day, some remain open and feedback suggests that people would indeed order a meal online on this day as well.
“We found from our survey that takeaway eating habits in London and Birmingham haven’t been affected by the credit crunch – if anything – orders are on the rise. It was interesting to see that chicken had the X factor over other meals but you have to remember that chicken is versatile and can be ordered in so many different ways while a side order of chips has always been considered a great British tradition,” says Marcus Rezaei, Director of Meal2Go.com.