When the first Sunday of the 2019 NFL season rolls around, there will be plenty of games to satisfy your appetite for football.
But what about foods to satisfy your appetite for, you know, nourishment?
If you haven't set your Week 1 lineup of meals and snacks, you're running out of time. Good thing for you, however, we've got something right here that could help with some ideas -- a rundown of the most popular game-day foods entering 2019.
Grubhub, a delivery service that processes nearly 500,000 daily orders from local and chain restaurants, recently mined its data from last season to identify which foods rose the most in popularity on NFL game days compared to the rest of the year. Favorite foods vary greatly depending on what part of the country you're from, their research found, but America as a whole apparently craves brisket above all else when it comes to chowing down in front of football.
Here is Grubhub's complete analysis on top game-day foods they deliver nationwide and regionally:
Top game day foods in the U.S.
- Smoked brisket sandwiches
- Cheeseburger empanadas
- Pepper burgers
- Roasted chicken
- Buffalo mac and cheese
No wings! How's that for an upset? To be fair, brisket is a respectable, if not superior, alternative. We can't say we've ever seen anyone ever order cheeseburger empanadas, but they fit the bill for a Sunday snack. Roasted chicken is also a tried and true main dish, so long as it's not too dried out.
Top game day foods by region
Midwest
- Chicken shawarma sandwiches
- Gyro sandwiches
- Fried pickles
- Boneless wings
- Potato wedges
No hot dish or deep-dish pizza is a mild surprise, but maybe those are better served for dinner, not game day. Notice there's a clear Mediterranean lean at the top here. Oh, and take those last three together, and you've got yourself a heck of a lunch basket.
Northeast
- Salmon avocado rolls
- Garlic knots
- Buffalo chicken pizza
- Grilled chicken
- BBQ spare ribs
It feels like people in the Northeast are trying to be hip/healthy and typical Americans at the same time. Can't say we saw "salmon avocado rolls" coming as a No. 1 choice in any region, but we're also not going to slight avocados. Garlic knots go perfectly with the pizza, and spare ribs are the kind of dish you'd also find at premier Super Bowl parties.
South
- Mexican pizza
- Pork egg rolls
- Lettuce wraps
- Chips and queso
- Fried pickles
A solid all-around collection, if you ask us. Besides the pizza, nothing's too heavy, but that's kind of the point of game-day eating -- there should be plenty of snacks, side dishes and, perhaps best of all, finger foods.
West
- Sweet and sour pork
- Lemon chicken
- Mongolian beef
- Spicy chicken
- Chili cheese fries
There's a lot of Asian influence out West, it seems. Once again, some of these items just don't come to mind when imagining typical game-day snacks (Mongolian beef is pretty different than, say, a bag of potato chips), but spicy chicken and chili cheese fries also don't sound like things you'd turn down on a Sunday afternoon.
States that order the most game day food
- Washington, D.C.
- Delaware
- Maryland
- Pennsylvania
- Massachusetts
A lot of East Coast representation here, perhaps because of the massive populations and big-market teams in the area. Interestingly enough, though, New York is nowhere to be found. Maybe they're getting enough from the local pizza joints? Either way, Eagles fans can take solace knowing their home state once again came out on top against New England.
