Football season can be a booming time for restaurants. As fans settle in to watch games each week (more on the when and where below) they're also in search of some serious snackage. And it's not just diehard fans who are tuning in — NFL games made up 93 of the top 100 most-viewed US TV programs last year, with a whopping 17.9 million viewers per game on average.
To get you the insights you need to compete on game day, DoorDash scoured the stats to bring you the where, why, how, and when restaurants can show up for football fans.
Survey methodology: DoorDash fielded two surveys of 1,000+ respondents each on February 23-24, 2024, screening for consumers who actively watch or keep track of the NFL season.
Where fans watch football
Plan your own game day strategy by understanding where your customers are watching football and providing the eats they need.
The majority of fans prefer watching the game at home
Watching football itself is a team sport, and viewers reportedly like having a home-field advantage. According to DoorDash's football fan research, 77% of viewers prefer watching the game at home. Almost half of this group enjoys the game with their friends and family, and 13% prefer watch parties with large groups.
This means game day is a huge opportunity to boost delivery and takeout sales, if you can lean into the excitement and deliver hot-and-ready fan favorites.
When outside the home, football fans head to the stadium and sports bars
Even those fans who don't watch at home — about 16% will head to a stadium or sports bar — represent an opportunity to encourage dine-in sales with football tie-in promos or special menu items.
Entice stadium goers by offering crowd-sized portions of their favorite tailgating eats for pickup en route to the game. On-premise diners still want the communal feel of the stadium experience while watching on the small screen, gravitating toward shareable apps. "Our special menu items, such as football-themed platters and shareable wings, are always a hit," shared Will Smith, owner of Grails in Miami.
"Our goal is to create an unforgettable game day experience that keeps fans coming back. We’ve found that themed events, like jersey nights and fantasy football drafts, really energize the crowd and foster a sense of community."
When fans watch football
Timing is just as important as location when it comes to planning effective promotions and experiences for your customers. According to DoorDash's football fan survey, 62% of fans "always or usually" watch the game live, which can give you a pretty good estimate for when you'll see an uptick in game-day orders and enable you to plan accordingly.
"Inventory-wise, we work closely with our suppliers to forecast demand and maintain buffer stock of fan favorites, like wings and beer, so we never run low. For delivery, we optimize by dedicating a team to manage online orders and partnering with reliable delivery platforms like DoorDash to ensure fans can enjoy our football specials at home without a hitch."
Sunday is the biggest day for football fans
The football fan survey tells us that Sunday is the biggest day for football, with almost all football fans (99%) tuning in to watch. More surprising? Half of those fans are watching at least five hours of football that day alone. That means many are watching more than one game in the course of the day, giving ample opportunity for restaurants to provide sustenance for the marathon watch sessions.
Monday and Thursday night football are growing quickly
The same survey reports that Monday and Thursdays are also immensely popular — with 93% of fans watching on Mondays and 91% on Thursdays. In fact, more than half of respondents (54%) report watching both Monday and Thursday games at least 4 weeks of the season.
Pre-game and post-game opportunities
Beyond the game itself, pre- and post-game shows extend the timelines that fans are spending watching football any day of the week. 23% of fans always or usually watch pre-game shows, which can start 30 minutes to an hour before game time — so make sure your staff is ready for pre-game orders. About the same amount (22%) always or usually watch post-game, too.
What fans eat and drink while watching football games
According to the football fan survey, almost half of fans (45%) prefer to graze on apps or snacks, while 30% will go for a full meal. 29% always or usually drink alcohol, representing a great opportunity to get in on the popularity of alcohol delivery— nothing kills a game day watch party like running out of beer before halftime.
Top game day foods
Apps really are the way to a fan's heart. According to DoorDash's football fan survey, top "guilty pleasure" snacks fans can't resist on game day include savory favorites like chicken wings (32%), chips & dip (16%), and loaded nachos (16%). Interestingly, only 5% reported indulging in a sweet treat.
Here are the top five most popular foods for game watching:
Chicken wings
Chips and dip
Loaded nachos
Mozzarella sticks
Loaded potato skins
Healthier snacks for football season making the cut
And while 11% of fans have a strict "no healthy snacks on game day" policy, including lighter options on your football-focused menu can ensure you have something that appeals to a wider range of viewers. Some ideas: 69% of respondents aiming to make healthier choices prefer to dig into popcorn and 50% opt for guacamole with whole grain chips.
Superstition is the way: Game day rituals and routines among football fans
Maybe it's wearing a favorite hat or sitting in the same seat every game, but 27% of the respondents to the football fan survey report unique habits or superstitions for game day.
Of these, 77% are related to eating or drinking, an opportunity to tap into the spirit with "lucky" menu items or inspiring fans to start new rituals with specific game-day-only specials.
Here are a few of our favorite football superstitions and game day rituals from the survey:
Sticking to specific 'playoff meals' like burgers for the first game of the season and chili dogs for the championship.
Wearing a team jersey on game days.
Opening a bag of Doritos at the start of every game.
Making hot dogs on the grill with the neighbors for football game watches.
Understanding the football fandom and creating a fan engagement strategy
Understanding your local market is critical to building local engagement, and having insight into football fandom is important when it comes to game day strategy.
About one-third (34%) of fans reported in the DoorDash football fan survey that they keep up with local and other favorite teams (say, teams that have the most talked-about star players) to stay socially relevant and able to participate in discourse with friends and colleagues. Almost a quarter (24%) follow additional teams for the same reason.
Not a fan yourself? Tap into fans you have on staff or in your own circle to better understand what your market is interested in — 22% of fans identify as "broad fans," meaning they're likely to have insights on both what's happening locally and what's being talked about across the league. Plan ahead for big games that will draw crowds, like the Game Day or rival match-ups.
"With football, you can't fake it," said Mel Harrison of Sundaze Burgers in Poughkeepsie, NY. "If you're going to implement a strategy around football marketing, you have to be serious. You have to know the game, know the schedule. You can't just say, 'We're going to do the [Game Day].' Because people have been prepping for this all year.
"If you want a big [Game Day] turnout, you need to commit to the whole season."
3 winning strategies for restaurants during football season
How can you win on game day? Understanding the fans, where they are, and what they want to eat is all important.
Support the at-home watchers with snackable options for take out and on-theme delivery promotions. A diverse game day menu featuring favorites like wings and nachos shows fans you know what they're looking for.
Tap into local lore to create your own unique spin on rituals or superstitions (maybe some "lucky" menu items or an app named after a favorite player).
Lastly, ensure you're stocked up on the essentials (and well staffed) before the game day rush, optimizing for key local game days and times.
Get your promotion boosted for Fall Football
To help you reach more customers and get more orders from sports fans, DoorDash is increasing the value of Discount for All Customers promotions during football season. That means if you’re running a Discount for All promotion between August 29-November 18, DoorDash will increase its value by up to 25% on Saturdays and Sundays — at no additional cost to you (e.g., a Spend $30, Get $8 promo can become Spend $30, Get $10).
On average, stores running promotions see up to a 20% boost in sales.* Don’t miss out on this opportunity to attract new customers and drive sales this football season.
How to participate:
Set up a Discount for All Customers promotion before November 1
Make sure your promotion is live at some point during August 29-November 18
You’ll automatically get the value boost of up to 25% once the promotion is live
Plus, to give you extra visibility, your promotion will be featured in our Fall Football homepage carousel and Offers hub on these weekends.
