Research conducted by The Happiest Hour, an app dedicated to discovering the best food and drink deals that support local pubs, reveals the food and beverage preferences of those living in Sydney and in Melbourne.
The research found that the traditional humble pie ranks at the bottom of the list for Sydneysiders and Melburninans, with parma also ranking low on the list (26 per cent among Sydneysiders and 39 per cent among Melburnians)
“It’s interesting to see the legendary parma, especially renowned in Melbourne, scoring low in both cities, slipping from its near-top position a decade ago,” Joonas Karppinen, Founder of The Happiest Hour, commented on the findings.
Cider was the least favourite drink for both Sydneysiders and Melburnians. Seafood, wings, roast, and schnitzel also received relatively lower rankings in both cities.
In Sydney in particular, cocktails are the top drink choice at 82 per cent. Wine (62 per cent) and spirits (60 per cent) came in second and third place, whilst beer (56 per cent) and cider (28 per cent) ranked lowest.
Meanwhile in Melbourne, beer takes the number one spot with 75 per cent of those surveyed, followed by cocktails at 70 per cent and wine coming in third place at 59 per cent.
“It’s fascinating to see cocktails as the dominant preference in Sydney, ranking second in Melbourne,” Karppinen added. “Overall, this makes cocktails the most popular food or drink item on our platform. When we survey users who have set cocktails as a preference, the common feedback is that full-priced cocktails often cost over $20, so to get them on happy hour for $10-12 is a significant dollar saving.”
When it comes to food choices, tacos and pizza tied in Sydney while in Melbourne, burgers are the favourite (53 per cent) with pizza following closely (50 per cent).
“I think it’s also worth noting the popularity of tacos and pizza may be driven by how shareable and social those food items are. It’s much easier to share a pizza than a steak,” Karppinen said. “Users on our platform are almost always looking for a venue to attend with a mate or a date, and shareable food adds to that experience. The next phase of the preferences research is to drill down into how preferences vary amongst different regions within cities, so that we can share those local insights with pubs.”
