Orda Pulse 2023
The Food Trend Tracker
Welcome to Orda Pulse. Our annual report for insightful and up-to-date data on Africa’s restaurant industry. In this report, we delve into the heart of Lagos Nigeria’s food trends, uncovering the most popular dishes, culinary preferences, and growth patterns in the restaurant industry.
Powered by Orda’s comprehensive restaurant management system, we bring you exclusive access to real-time statistics and analyses. Whether you’re a restaurateur, food enthusiast, or market analyst, Orda Pulse is your essential resource for the latest in African food economy.
Data Note: The information in the charts below is from October 2023, sourced from various restaurant types, including high-end establishments and local bukkas, across Lagos’s 20 local government areas in Nigeria. To enhance clarity, some data has been compiled and refined for better insight.
Most Popular Menu Items
Most Popular Drink Brands
Note: Our information is based on how accurately menu items are named by vendors. We didn’t count generic names like “Coke”, “Yoghurt”, or “Water”. The popularity of specific brands is more pronounced in the beverage category due to consumer preferences for particular brands, as opposed to staple foods like rice, where brand preferences are less distinct or a choice is not given to the consumer.
Food Groups
In Nigeria, the food ordering trends on Orda reveal a strong preference for proteins and grains, with the majority of orders for proteins and grains and cereals, highlighting the prominence of meat and staple foods in the local diet. Beverages and vegetables also show significant popularity. In contrast, there’s a notably lower demand for legumes, nuts, sweets, and fruits, indicating either occasional consumption or different purchasing habits for these items.
Restaurant Peak Times
In Nigeria, people tend to order food from restaurants from noon, peaking at 7PM, suggesting that late afternoons and evenings are the most popular times for placing orders. Although delivery orders are the least among the three methods, there is an observable increase in delivery orders during the lunch hours (around 1:00 PM) and in the evening, indicating key times when delivery services are in demand.
Payment Methods
Digital Transactions (which include transfers, USSD, cards, etc…) is the preferred method of payment in Nigeria, accounting for 65% of all payments, while cash payments make up the remaining 35%. This indicates a significant inclination towards the convenience and safety of digital methods in the ordering process.
Order Fulfillment
Dine-in and takeaway accounts for more than 90% of restaurant sales, indicating a strong preference for eating at the restaurant.
Average price of a meal
Despite a weakening currency and rising inflation, the price of a meal for restaurants using Orda barely moved from October 2022 to October 2023. The average price of a meal only increased by approximately 1.36%, reflecting a modest rise in meal costs over the year.
Important Note: This average includes a wide range of restaurant types (e.g high-end restaurants, bukkas etc) across all 20 LGA in Lagos.