Most Searched Coupons to Clip For Dinner Delivery Discounts

It is no secret that food costs are soaring, but some savvy searchers are seeking coupons to reduce their restaurant tabs. A new study highlights that Americans want the convenience of having food delivered but search for coupons to offset the costs.

The new study by frugal living experts at CommonCentsMom analyzed the average monthly Google searches over the past year for coupons for restaurants and food delivery services in the US. It found that DoorDash leads among mixed food delivery services, with an average of 591,000 searches per month. 

Meanwhile, Papa John’s is the most popular restaurant brand that US residents seek coupons for, averaging 441,000 hits every month.

Discount hunters also look for a bargain at Subway, which receives 200,000 coupon and promo code-related searches each month. Grubhub on 108,000 average monthly searches, and Chuck E. Cheese (99,000 searches every month). 

Top 10 Most Searched Coupons For Food Delivery

1. Door Dash (591,000 average monthly searches)
2. Papa John’s (441,000)
3. Uber Eats (349,000)
4. Pizza Hut (263,000)
5. Subway (200,000)
6. Grubhub (108,000)
7. Chuck E. Cheese (99,000)
8. Burger King (76,000)
9. Little Caesars (68,000)
10. Domino’s (66,000)

Delivery Services Take A Slice From Pizza

Food delivery is now a global market worth more than $150 billion, having tripled since 2017. Five of the top 10 delivery discounts searched were to pizza places. Historically, food delivery was limited to pizza and Chinese food. Now there are many alternatives to pizza. 

Mark Patrick from Financial Pilgrimage says, “Food delivery services have taken the world by storm, especially since the start of the pandemic. Naturally, consumers seek opportunities to save money by seeking coupons for services such as DoorDash and Grubhub. As these services expand into grocery store delivery, we may see searches increase even more in the future.”

The study warns pizza restaurants that their market share is waning. It also represents an opportunity for their competitors. The habit developed during the pandemic of delivering food is here to stay. Now non-pizza options are top of mind.

Not All Coupons Come With A Discount 

To be able to rise to the top of people’s minds, DoorDash spent more ($163.5M) than both GrubHub ($97.9M) and Instacart ($33.8M) combined on advertising. Papa John’s, the top pizza chain on this list, came in with $62M in advertising spending in 2021. Not only do the coupons reduce the margins of the delivery companies, but there is also a considerable expense to advertise.

Chuck E Cheese Please

An encouraging takeaway from the study is Chuck E Cheese. The other nine top spots are held by restaurants focused on takeout or food delivery. Chuck E Cheese is different in that they focus on the in-person dining experience. Yet many googlers are searching for Chuck E Cheese for food delivery.

Unless you know where to look, Chuck E Cheese discounts are difficult to find. That may explain why there are so many searches for Chuck E Cheese.

A Few Surprises

It wasn’t too long ago that Domino’s was the king of having meals delivered. But they are now looking up at a new king. Burger King outranked Domino’s pizza.   

A few notable companies we clipped from the rankings. Surprisingly well-known brands like Dennys, Appleby’s, Instacart, and Amazon did not appear in the rankings.

Amazon is especially interested. Not only does the retail giant sell many food products, but they also own Whole Foods. Amazon recently launched a food delivery service to compete with Door Dash, Instacart, Grub Hub, and Uber Eats. There are also many Amazon discounts, coupons, and promo codes available. Their omission highlights that searchers do not consider Amazon when searching for discounts on food delivery.

Coupons As A Business Model

Perhaps there is another reason these are the most searched brands for coupons. Michael Slick, a Marketing and Business Development Consultant, explains, “Consumers have been trained by some brands not to make a purchase at full price because of the never-ending supply of coupon and discounts.” As a former Pizza Hut Marketing Manager and ex-Burger King employee he should know too.  

Michael adds, “Coupons were designed to generate interest and trial, although consumers quickly get accustomed to the lower discounted price if used too often. With some brands, consumers are reluctant to make a purchase without the coupon discount.” 

An Evolving Industry

The convenience of delivering food comes at a cost. Delivery as a service is yet another expense, making it more expensive to eat. Clipping coupons is a way to offset those rising costs.

Coupons may become even more critical as more competitors gain momentum and market share.

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