Fried chicken, groceries and late nights: Inside SA’s Uber Eats trends

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JEREMY MAGGS: This is an interesting one. Uber Eats’ 2025 South Africa Cravings Report really reads like a food survey more than a social barometer.

It shows fried chicken still dominating every city. No real surprises there. Grocery deliveries surging by 66%, and so-called “super users” placing thousands of orders a year. But I think behind the quirky stats that we’re about to discuss, there are bigger questions about consumer behaviour, convenience, economics, digital etiquette, and the realities of gig work.

Read: Uber’s gig workers now include coders for hire on AI projects [Nov 2024]

In that respect, from Uber Eats, I’m joined by Cassie Jaganyi. Cassie, a very warm welcome to you. Let’s start with fried chicken, if we can. Tops every city. No real surprises there. I’m wondering if it’s a resilience in local food culture, or maybe just a signal of stretched household budgets. What do you think it is?

CASSIE JAGANYI: Yeah, we’re seeing across the report and quite unanimously across the country, a deep love for fried chicken, accompanied with, I think it’s important to call it out, accompanied with pap. It is the most requested side alongside that fried chicken. I think to answer your question on what it speaks to, honestly, I think that there’s an element where it speaks to both.

A large part of what we track is seasonality. We see different orders coming through depending on if it’s the time of year or whether it is even the time of the month.

Closer to the end of the month when the salary is a little bit more stretched, we see orders shifting more towards grocery items and maybe your cheaper, faster food items.

In the beginning [of the month], when you know the money is fresh, a little bit more splurging happening.

I really think it’s a testament to both the love for chicken, but also maybe, trying to make the rands go further.

JEREMY MAGGS: What do you think is behind that big jump in grocery delivery?

CASSIE JAGANYI: Well, actually, Jeremy, a couple of years ago we launched an economic impact report and one of the key data points that came out of that was that the Uber Eats app is saving consumers more than 12.7 million hours by delivering meals and groceries directly to the door. What we’re seeing is a real push and a real acceleration in the convenience culture trend.

That 12.7 million hours saved is time back in your pocket, which is something I think people find incredibly valuable.

It’s time to spend time with your family, with your kids, on your hobbies and not have to worry about making a run to a grocery store and so on. So really a very big uptick in convenience culture and spending on convenience.

JEREMY MAGGS: Cassie, on a more negative side, one user, if I read this number correctly, placing nearly 2 800 orders, and that surely raises flags. Do you track the point where convenience turns into overreliance? Because that is really off the charts.

CASSIE JAGANYI: It’s not necessarily something that we’re tracking directly, but I do think, again, it comes back to the sense of convenience.

Businesses are ordering Uber Eats to the office to feed employees, different party groups, if you’ve got friends over and you’re ordering for a number of different people, that is also one of the things that could be driving that increase, that spike in the number of orders for this individual.

Read: The precarious lives of supermarket grocery delivery drivers [Jul 2023]

But again, I think it really come back to the sense that this is taking away the thought process for someone, and the thought energy required around food and what’s needed. Again, it speaks to that convenience culture and how more and more people are tapping into that.

JEREMY MAGGS: You don’t think 2 800 orders from one person is of any concern at all?

CASSIE JAGANYI: I think, like I said before, it could be an office that’s placing the order for many people, it might not be just for one person, it maybe came from one account. I think it requires maybe a little bit more of a deep dive, but there are a number of reasons why an order could have looked like that.

JEREMY MAGGS: What do you make of Cape Town’s late-night ordering increasing so dramatically? Do you think it’s lifestyle choice, or people maybe just working and living on more non-traditional schedules?

CASSIE JAGANYI: Yeah, just [from] the data, we saw that there was an increase where Cape Town is the one city across South Africa that’s ordering double as much for late-night orders, and late night being between 11 and about two or three in the morning.

Listen/read: No clear winner: Inside SA’s fast-food search trends

I do think that it’s tapping into an economy and into a market that was previously underserved because restaurants are closed, grocery stores are closed, and if you’re someone who is working the night shift, if you’re someone who’s maybe gone out for the evening with some friends to have a good time, we’re able to tap into an existing market.

That market was always there, but now we’re able to supply and give them an offering. Cape Town seems to be the one driving that.

JEREMY MAGGS: There’s a boast that you make about a 48-second delivery, which obviously grabs headlines, Cassie, but how do you balance speed with safety and fair working conditions?

CASSIE JAGANYI: I think that’s an excellent question. Our couriers are the backbone of our business. Our business does not exist without them and I think from us to them, it’s definitely a huge thank you.

But we have a number of different safeguards that are in place for couriers to ensure that they’re driving safely and that they’re getting your order to you in a way that is safe.

It’s a number of different things. Number one is driver hour limits. They’re only allowed to drive a set number of hours per day before we mandate that they take a rest.

Other safety requirements are, we’re tracking things like speed, we’re tracking things like the use of a helmet, the use of a safety jacket and the necessary PPE (personal protective equipment) as well, to ensure that couriers are safe while they’re executing these trips.

JEREMY MAGGS: But only 2.3% of Johannesburgers, for instance, our orders include a please or a thank you, you say. Do you think anonymity changes the way in which how we treat people doing that work?

CASSIE JAGANYI: Yeah, I think that this is a comment maybe more on society in general, with the uptick of things like social media and you being able to be anonymous on social media, people are bolder in what they have to say.

Read: Gig economy emerges as a bright spot amid gloomy tech earnings [Aug 2024]

But I think what our data is showing as well is that even within the anonymity, there are cities that are still incredibly grateful, that are tipping more, that are acknowledging the work of their couriers. Joburg, Pretoria, Durban and Margate specifically topping that list. So a huge thanks to them for sharing their gratitude.

JEREMY MAGGS: Cassie Jaganyi, thank you very much indeed from Uber Eats. I do appreciate the time.

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