Orders in the build up and during the games have increased by an average of 16% compared with the same period the previous week, it says, with England’s games having delivered some of Just Eat’s busiest days of the year.
Meanwhile, the 2am kick-off against Mexico sparked an even bigger spike, with orders increasing by an average of 129% in the build-up to and during the match as fans stocked up on late-night snacks.
The online delivery platform says it is expecting another spike in demand when England take on Norway this weekend. It commissioned research with Censuswide, which found that 71% of people plan to watch the quarter-finals either at home or at a friend or family member’s house, which it believes will lead to another bumper period for takeaways.
“Football fever is proving to be a win-win for fans and our partners. Whether it’s burgers before kick-off or late-night snacks for the nail-biting moments, England matches are creating some of the busiest days of the year,” says Andy Washington, commercial director at Just Eat.
“With so many people planning to watch England together this weekend, we’re expecting another busy night for our restaurant and retail partners. Britain’s getting behind bringing dinner home, now we’re hoping England can do the same with football.”
For evening and late-night kick-offs, around three quarters of all orders are placed before kick-off, according to Just Eat. The only exception was England’s 5pm match against DR Congo, where ordering continued to rise during the game as it coincided with family dinner time.
England’s 2am victory over Mexico also created a unique second wave of demand. Fans ordered dinner as normal between 6pm and 7pm, before returning to the app for another spike in orders between 2am and 3am ahead of kick-off.
Across the tournament, the nation’s favourite match day meals have been burgers, pizza and Italian food, and chicken, with burgers topping the charts for England’s matches against Croatia, Ghana and Mexico, while pizza proved most popular during the Panama and DR Congo fixtures.