Uber Eats 2024 Cravings Report Sri Lankans love sugar, spice and everything nice

Uber Eats dug into the details of what Sri Lankans ordered on Uber Eats last year and one thing stood out— a love for bold flavours. 

From “make it spicy”, to “extra spicy”, spice dominated order instructions, proving once again that Sri Lankans love their ‘daiyya’ (spice). But it wasn’t all about fiery flavours – Sri Lankans had a serious sweet tooth, with pancakes, chocolate dough-nuts and chocolate eclairs leading the dessert orders in the hundreds of thousands. 

Uber Eats Cravings Report 2024, a snapshot of the country’s favourite cravings and bingeworthy dishes, uncovered some interesting trends. The country’s long-standing love for short eats remained strong, with chicken roll, fish patty and fish bun topping the snack-time favourites. 

Rice reigned supreme, with four of the five most-ordered dishes being rice-based, reinforcing Sri Lanka’s unwavering love for rice. 

2024 food menu royalty

•  Chicken fried rice
• Chicken biryani
• Nasi Goreng
• Mixed fried rice
• Chicken pizza

In a nation known for its tea exports, coffee came on top—iced coffee held its stop as the most-ordered drink on Uber Eats in 2024, overtaking milk tea once again. Rounding out the top five beverages were Pepsi, Iced Milo, 7UP and Milo Milk Tea. 

The grocery trends reflected kitchen essentials and everyday kitchen staples. Eggs, big onions and tomatoes, leading the shopping lists on the app. 

2024 grocery menu royalty

• Big onions
• Eggs
• Tomatoes
• Fresh milk
• Sandwich bread

True to Uber Eats’ ‘Get Almost, Almost Anything’ promise, non-food orders were a hit, with personal hygiene products and cleaning supplies topping the list.

2024 ‘Get Almost, Almost Anything’ winners

• Tissues
• Sanitary pads
• Dishwash liquid
• Toilet paper
• Detergent

Sri Lankans showed their generosity, tipping delivery partners over Rs.100,000,000 last year. The highest tips were given on the Mother’s Day (May 12); Father’s Day (June 16) and Valentine’s Day (February 14) – proving that the consumers made sure the delivery partners felt extra special on special days. 

And of course, no Cravings Report is complete without some unforgettable delivery instructions. Some gems from 2024:

• ”Can you please put some eggs? I’m bulking. I’ve been ordering regularly.” 
• ”You guys know how I like it—NO onions, tomatoes and cucumbers. Just whipped curd with extra chili powder.”
• ”I MISSED YOU A LOT! I TRIED ORDERING SO MANY TIMES! DON’T GO MISSING AGAIN!”