Consumers want more beverages delivered to their doorsteps – alcoholic and otherwise – according to a recent survey by food and beverage e-commerce delivery platform DoorDash.
DoorDash, which allows consumers to order delivery from local restaurants and retailers, surveyed more than 1,500 consumers between February 25 and March 3, with results shared in the 2025 DoorDash Delivery Trends report, released last week. Respondents were 50% male, 50% female, with an average age of 40 and average household income of $81,000.
Nearly half of respondents (42%) said they are ordering bev-alc for delivery more often in 2025 than they did in 2024. And it appears no special occasion is needed to spark a bev-alc order, as 40% of consumers said they order for “regular nights at home” – the most popular occasion ahead of watching sports (39%), celebrating holidays (38%), hosting parties (34%) and romantic evenings (32%).
Nearly half of respondents (49%) said they prefer ordering bev-alc through third-party apps or websites. However, not all applications are guaranteed success. Recall, Uber shut down its dedicated alcohol e-commerce platform Drizly last year and shifted its investment to UberEats, possibly indicating that consumers also prioritize apps that have food options in addition to bev-alc.
While bev-alc delivery may be up, so is non-alcoholic (NA) adult beverage delivery. Eighty percent of respondents who ordered bev-alc delivery this year said they also ordered low- or no-alcohol adult beverages in the last six months, “more than twice as many as last year,” DoorDash reported.
The increased NA ordering is on top of a 82% year-over-year (YoY) increase in NA beer orders through DoorDash from 2023 to 2024, the company reported, citing app data.
The NA market – particularly NA beer – has become increasingly crowded in the past two years, with entrants from both big beer producers and craft breweries. However, there may still be room for more NA innovation across all categories. Nearly one-third (32%) of survey respondents said there “still aren’t enough” NA beverage options on restaurant or delivery menus.
Consumers could also be looking for more intoxicating hemp products, according to DoorDash. Between December 2024 and January 2025, app orders with intoxicating hemp beverages increased 19% versus the same period in 2024. Orders with THC edibles increased 15% YoY.
The increases could suggest that “consumers are exploring new rituals during Dry January,” DoorDash wrote.
Regardless of what’s in their carts, consumers see food and beverage delivery as a form of “self-care,” according to the survey. Seventy-eight percent of consumers said delivery orders are “an act of self-care at least sometimes,” which increased to 85% when including just millennials.
And there’s apparently no limit to this form of self-care. More than one-third of consumers (35%) reported ordering delivery twice in one day, while 22% have ordered three or more times in one day, increasing to 27% when including only millennials. Men are 47% more likely than women to order three or more times in a 24-hour period, according to the survey.
About one-in-five consumers (21%) reported ordering delivery from restaurants more in 2025 than they did in 2024.
Nearly 50% of respondents (47%) said they order with the same restaurants at least weekly, increasing to 55% for just millennials and 60% for consumers who are parents. About one-third of respondents said they preferred to order from local restaurants over chains or national retailers.
Consumers aren’t just ordering for themselves. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of respondents said they have sent a gift delivery (food or non-food) in the past year. Birthdays were the most popular occasion for sending a delivery (43%), followed by Valentine’s Day (25%), “random act of kindness” (25%), thank you gifts (24%), Christmas (20%), “get well soon” (20%) and Mother’s Day (19%).
“There’s a growing opportunity for restaurants and other businesses to position their menu items as thoughtful, on-demand gifts,” DoorDash wrote. “Offer celebratory packaging, add a gift message option at checkout or create holiday-based meal bundles to make your delivery menu top-of-mind for special occasions.”