Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, August 26) — Staying at home for most of the time during the pandemic, Filipinos are turning to comfort food such as cakes based on data provided by a food delivery service app.
Grab Philippines’ first-ever Food Trend Report showed that cake purchases through GrabFood increased by a whopping 2.6 times in 2020 compared to the year prior.
“Filipinos love their cake,” Grab Philippines Country Head Grace Vera Cruz said in a virtual press briefing Thursday.
The same report said coffee and tea orders during breakfast also surged by 2.3 times. The most sought-after beverages are iced coffee and caramel macchiato.
App users also spent 35% more on breakfast food, with an average budget of P146 for every meal.
Most orders are a mix of American breakfast items, fried food, and carb-loaded meals like spaghetti or fried rice.
“Filipinos don’t skip breakfast. Not wanting to spend a lot of time, people choose meals that are easy to eat and clean up,” the report said.
Breakfast orders start around 7 a.m. and peak from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m..
The Philippines has one of the world’s longest lockdowns since March 2020, when the government placed the entire Luzon Island under enhanced community quarantine.
This forced restaurant owners to either limit their seating capacity or close shop, leading to a surge in orders via food delivery apps.
“Eating comfort food like cake helps a person cope with the COVID stress,” said James Franco, a psychotherapist and co-founder of mental health wellness advocacy organization Heart & Soul PH.
The report said the top 10 most searched food categories on GrabFood during the pandemic are:
1. Fast food
2. Cake
3. Chinese
4. Milk tea
5. Coffee
6. Pizza
7. Bakery
8. Doughnuts
9. Burgers
10. Chicken
