Uber Eats 10 Years: A decade of deliveries

Australia has officially been ordering in for a decade, and to celebrate 10 years of Uber Eats, we’ve gone into the depths of the nation's baskets to uncover the trends defining how Aussies eat, drink and order their way through life.

From the Saturday feasts that became a weekly ritual, to three mysterious orders of 150 bananas in WA, late night orders of Dubai Chocolate, and the food fads that flourished over time - our decade of delivery data tells the story of a nation’s changing tastes and ordering habits. 

10 facts for 10 years of Uber Eats 

1. From five cities to a nation: Uber Eats launched in Melbourne before expanding to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Today, it’s now available in over 120 cities and towns! 
2. One million delivery people joined the journey: Nearly one million delivery people have completed a trip on the Eats platform. Remarkably, 64 delivery people have been delivering with Uber Eats since its first year in Australia, with one completing more than 84,000 trips over the past decade. 
3. From hidden gems to nationwide favourites: What started with 300 restaurants in Melbourne has grown into a community of more than 65,000 merchants across the country and counting. 
4. Burgalicious: Burgers have retained the top spot on our order lists with over 123 million burgers ordered over the decade. 
5. Everyday essentials: Uber Eats has grown up. What started out as a food-only delivery service has evolved into everyday convenience, with Aussies also getting their hands on over 43 million toilet rolls, 293 lawn mowers, and over 280,000 packs of baby wipes. 
6. Ordering around the clock: Nearly one in five orders are placed between 10pm and 10am, proving cravings don’t stick to a schedule.  
7. Serving up convenience, 7 days a week: Saturday has remained Australia’s favourite day to order, but over the years weekdays are starting to edge out weekends overall. 
8. More protein, less pudding: Aussies are choosing macros over macarons, prioritising protein with chicken orders up 4% across the decade, while dessert orders have dropped -4.4%. Gym bros, we see you.
9. Purr-fectly popular: It’s no secret Aussie paw-rents love to indulge their pets, but one species is more spoilt than others when it comes to on-demand convenience, with cat-related purchases making up 9 of the 10 most ordered pet items.
10. After dark a-peel: Aussies are bananas for bananas, having ordered more than 21.8 million over the past decade, including 27,000+ between 12–4am - a truly ripe time for a snack. In the wise words of Gwen Stefani, this is B-A-N-A-N-A-S. 

The flavours that defined a decade 

When it comes to the nation’s evolving palette, it’s clear Aussies are gravitating towards quick, casual meals and global flavours.

The leading cuisine choices over the past decade are: 

1. Burgers have held the top spot over the past 10 years, with over 123 million ordered throughout the entire decade! 
2. Coming in second place is Pizza, with over 69.8 million ordered throughout the entire decade. However, in the platform's early days, Mediterranean orders owned this podium spot. 
3. Mexican officially took third spot in 2026 with over 35 million meals ordered throughout the entire decade, as Aussies gravitate towards clean, flavourful and bold flavours.

The orders we’ll never forget

• The biggest banana mystery? Three separate orders of 150 bananas in Western Australia leave one important question: is WA home to a banana bread empire or Australia’s most ambitious fruit salad?
  
  
• The top 10 single quantity orders: 

1. 1. 200 apples delivered in Western Australia 
   2. 250 green chillies delivered in Perth
   3. 232 packs of Squeezy Tomato Sauce delivered in Melbourne 
   4. 250 carrots delivered in Perth
   5. 130 charcoal stone pavers delivered in Sydney
   6. 167 sheets of A4 Single Sided paper delivered in Sydney
   7. 152 shredded roast chickens delivered in Melbourne 
   8. 150 packs of Omega-3 capsules delivered in Perth
   9. 145 imperfect Mandarins delivered in Sydney
   10. 250 lemons delivered in Perth

• Perfectly peckish Perthonians: Perth is leading the way in single quantity orders of fresh produce…with a total of 250 lemons, 600 green chillies, 403 red chillies, 452 Okra and 430 carrots delivered to some very hungry users across the city. 

Dining through the years

• Early bird special: 6pm is the most popular time for orders in Australia, followed by 7pm and 5pm, with dinner remaining the most popular meal to order in across the past 10 years.
• Rise and dine: Aussie AM appetites are growing, with over 109 million orders placed between the hours of 5am and 10am over the past decade, plus 5.8 million extra early orders between 3am and 4am by pre-dawn-diners.
• Order habits by state: Victorians were most likely to place an order between 10pm - 4am, while Queenslanders proved they were the early risers, with the most orders between 5 - 10am.
• Breakfast of champions: The nation’s favourite breakfast order? Surprisingly, not avocado and toast – Australia placed over 2.6 million orders for Açai bowls and smoothies between 2019 and 2026. Followed by croissants (over 1.5 million orders) and bagels (over 1.4 million) which have seen the highest growth among breakfast orders (5–11am). 
• Flocking to Chicken: Aussie appetites have evolved over the decade with orders of chicken (pollo) growing its share by 4%, cementing its place as a go-to protein for Aussie diners.
• A bittersweet shift: No post-dinner sweet treat? Dessert orders have dropped -4.4% since 2016.
• Weekdays bite back: Saturday reigns supreme as Australia’s favourite day to order, with Friday close behind, as delivery evolves from an indulgence, to an everyday ritual of convenience. 
• Going bananas: Australians have ordered more than 21.8 million bananas over the past decade, led by NSW (7.4 million) and Victoria (6.4 million). 

Midnight cravings 

• Dough-not mind if I do: A total 144,781 doughnuts have been delivered to Aussies between 12am - 4am. 
• Banana craze continues into the early hours: Over 27,000 bananas have been ordered between 12 - 4am. 
• Unique cravings: While sweet treats and salty delights are somewhat expected in the early hours, we know that some Aussies have been opting for items slightly more unique…Gourmet Dubai Chocolate (3,146 orders), 1.5L of bottled spring water (11,858 orders), Egg & Lettuce Sandwich (4,167) and Pink Lady apples (3,454). 

From pet supplies to power tools

But it’s not all burgers and sweet treats. By 2024, Aussies were using Uber Eats to also access on-demand delivery for tech, tools and life’s essentials. 

• The most essential, essential: Aussies have ordered over 43 million toilet rolls on Uber Eats in the last decade.
• Beyond the menu: Australia’s most popular non-food items prove Aussies love a good clean: CUB Biodegradable Fragrance Free Baby Wipes, 3 Ply Paper Towels, and Antibacterial Multi Purpose Biodegradable Wipes.
• Big spenders: Four DIY lovers purchased Makita’s 18V Brushless 15 Piece Combo Kit at $4,737, while another dropped $4,197 on a Lenovo Legion Pro 5 Gaming Laptop Core Ultra 9 32/1TB.
• For the love of pets: One Aussie went all out for their pet, placing the biggest Petbarn order with 56 dog items costing just under $2,000 - because sometimes you really need to spoil your furry friend. But Aussies’ true pet preference? Uber data says it might be cats - with cat-related purchases making up 9 of the 10 most ordered pet items.

A decade of deliveries decoded

• 293 lawn mowers
• 4.3 million avocados
• 25M litres of milk (inc. non dairy) 
• 690 tonnes of strawberries
• 8.3M tomatoes (that’s 1.6Mkg!)
• 280,000+ Fragrance Free Baby Wipes ordered since 2024
• 2.8 million packs of toilet paper (equating to 43M rolls) 
• 66,844 packs of Ibuprofen since 2024 
• 67,872 bottles of bleach toilet gel since 2024 

THE NEXT 10: What’s next for food, retail and delivery?

A lot can change in a decade. So, after looking back at 10 years of Australian cravings, we asked Lucas Groeneveld, Managing Director of Uber Eats Australia & New Zealand, to look forward. From what we eat and how we shop to how an order reaches our door, here are 10 shifts set to define the next decade of food, retail and delivery.

1. The whole neighbourhood, on-demand
The next decade will bring more of the local high street to your fingertips. From the corner grocer and neighbourhood bakery to the florist, butcher, pharmacy and local retailer, more businesses of every kind will become available online and on-demand. Delivery platforms will increasingly become a digital shopfront for local neighbourhoods - giving consumers more choice and helping local businesses reach customers beyond their front door.

2. From three meals to micro-moments
Breakfast, lunch and dinner aren’t disappearing, but they’re no longer the only moments that matter. Hybrid work, fitness culture and changing routines are reshaping when and how we eat. From the post-gym protein hit and 3pm pick-me-up to snacks between meetings and the late-night craving, the next decade will see food increasingly fit around our lives, rather than our lives fitting around traditional mealtimes.

3. The world becomes the menu
The next global food phenomenon could start anywhere. Social media has collapsed the distance between food cultures, with something trending in Jakarta, Seoul or Mexico City able to influence what Australians are craving within days. As discovery becomes increasingly social-first and borderless, delivery platforms will help bring those global cravings closer to home - giving consumers access to an ever-broader world of cuisines, flavours and dishes.

4. Food becomes fandom
What we eat will become even more intertwined with what we watch, listen to and obsess over. From limited-edition dishes inspired by entertainment and sport to collaborations with artists, creators and cultural tastemakers, food will increasingly become another way for people to participate in the moments and communities they love. The next big fandom might not just have merchandise - it might have a menu.

5. Your AI food concierge
The biggest change to menus may be that we spend less time looking at them. AI will increasingly help turn intent into an order - whether that’s “feed four people for under $60”, a photo of a handwritten grocery list, or simply “I want something healthy but filling”. Rather than endless scrolling, food discovery will become increasingly conversational, contextual and personal, helping people find what they want even when they don’t quite know what that is yet.

6. Beyond the shopfront
What’s available on-demand will no longer be constrained by what fits on the shelves of the shops and restaurants around you. New kitchen formats, delivery-first concepts and 24/7 micro-fulfilment centres will give restaurants and retailers new ways to meet demand, expanding both the range of products available and when consumers can get them. The question will shift from “can I get that delivered?” to “how quickly do I need it?”

7. The digital aisle comes alive
Online shopping will become less about scrolling through a static catalogue and more about discovery. Richer media, AI and real-time data will make browsing more visual, immersive and responsive - surfacing dishes and products based on everything from the time of day and weather to what’s trending or available right now. The digital aisle will become a living storefront.

8. Robots join the delivery network
The next delivery to your door might not always arrive the way you expect. Autonomous technology will one day complement traditional delivery, with footpath robots, drones and autonomous vehicles taking on the journeys they’re best suited to. Rather than one technology replacing another, the future is likely to be a smarter and more flexible delivery network, matching each order with the best way to get it where it needs to go.

9. The e-bike boom reshapes our cities
As on-demand delivery grows, so too will the role of bikes and e-bikes in moving goods around our cities. The next decade will require technology companies, delivery people, governments and cities to work together on safer vehicles, better infrastructure, education and smarter streets - helping make two wheels an increasingly safe and sustainable way to move things through our communities.

10. Packaging enters its next era
What an order arrives in will matter almost as much as how it gets there. The next decade will bring greater focus on reducing packaging waste and making more sustainable alternatives practical at scale. But lasting change will require more than individual restaurants changing containers. Consumers, businesses, industry and governments will all have a role to play in creating the standards, infrastructure and systems needed to support more sustainable packaging at scale.

From burgers to bananas, wet wipes to whatever you ordered at 2am - it's been a wild, delicious 10 years of convenience. Here’s to the next decade, Australia!