8 Most Popular Foods for U.S. College Students

BY ELANA GOODWIN, Ohio State University student and uloop writer

​College students are notorious for making up a huge percentage of the population who frequently order food to be delivered, and what and when they order varies. But the most popular foods students order across the board are all the same — and for good reason.

Here are some of the most popular foods that college students get delivered:

​1. Pizza. Besides the fact that it’s delicious cheesy goodness, pizza typically goes further than some other foods students may order, so the price is usually pretty good for how many times you’ll eat it. Even if you eat two or three slices when you get it, you’ll still have at least half the pie to put in the fridge and eat for another few meals.

If you’re getting pizza delivered because you’re having people over, you can still plan to have leftovers by ordering an extra pie for yourself and hiding it away in your fridge.

2. Mexican. Getting Mexican food delivered is also popular among college students, as Qdoba and Chipotle are frequented often by students. Ordering burritos, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas and other yummy Mexican choices for delivery is common, especially since some Mexican dishes may be more of a pain to make on your own at home.

3. Chinese. Chinese restaurants usually have a wide variety of dishes you can order, which means it makes sense to get a few different things so you can try multiple items and will have leftovers. Some of the most popular Chinese dishes that college students order include General Tso’s chicken, egg rolls, sesame chicken, wonton soup, fried rice, sweet and sour chicken, and orange chicken.

4. Sandwiches. From deli to burgers to veggies and beyond, sandwiches are a common item college students will order for delivery. If you’re ordering a sandwich, it pays to order the kind you couldn’t easily make at home or one that the restaurant is known for.
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Sandwiches like grilled cheese you may be better off making for yourself — unless it’s going to be the best grilled cheese in the city. More extravagant sandwiches, such as a Philly cheesesteak, deli sub, pulled pork or hamburger,  that you wouldn’t necessarily buy the ingredients for and concoct for yourself at home, make more sense to get delivered. But then again, it depends on how lazy and/or hungry you are when ordering!

Late-night sugar craving? Order cookies for delivery! (Credit: pexels.com)

5. Cookies. Now that places like Insomnia Cookies have popped up in many states, college students can easily get yummy, freshly baked cookies and other desserts delivered right to their doors. It’s also popular for students to add on cookies or another dessert to their delivery order from a restaurant.

So if you’re not much of a baker or don’t want to keep flour, sugar and other cookie-making ingredients in your apartment or house,  you can just have cookies delivered basically whenever you want.

6. Chicken Wings. When you get wings delivered, you’re getting pretty good bang for your buck, since you’ll usually get a good number of wings per order. Additionally, if you’re having people over, wings can be a good item to order as you can feed multiple people with a few orders.Since wings come in a variety of flavors — Buffalo, BBQ, mild, spicy, etc. — you can make sure there’s a kind everyone will like or just order a few different flavors for you to try and enjoy.

7. Salad. It’s perhaps not the first food you’d think of as one that’s often ordered by college students, but salad is actually a pretty popular item for delivery.  Besides being a healthy choice, salads nowadays are very versatile. They can come topped with meat, chicken, fish or tofu, have quinoa or other grains mixed in, and include other fruits, veggies, or protein — in addition to whatever dressings you  like.

Of course, if you’re a big salad eater, you should probably buy lettuce from the grocery store and make your own, as it’ll be more cost-effective. However, if you’re ordering other food from a restaurant and are in the mood for a salad too, just add it to your delivery order and enjoy not having to put it together yourself.

8. Sushi. Since most college students probably won’t go to the effort of making sushi themselves, sushi is a pretty popular food to have delivered.  There are lots of different kinds of rolls you can choose from, so you can order a few and share with others or make a sampler plate for yourself. While sushi won’t stay fresh as long as other delivered foods, you’ll probably want to finish eating your order within a day or two. 

Whatever you choose to get delivered, make sure you’re getting your money’s worth, especially if you have to pay extra for delivery.  If that’s the case, consider ordering a few more items to have for later in the week so the delivery fee will be worth your while. Happy eating!
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Excerpted from uloop.com, Online Marketplace for College Life