For one generation of Americans, takeout and delivery are largely non-negotiables.

Some 78 percent of Gen Z have spent money on picking up food from a restaurant or having it delivered, according to a survey of 1,323 people aged 18 to 29 by review site Yelp.

But where they choose to eat and how much they spend are methodical decisions, the pollsters found. More than 75 percent of Gen Z rely on detailed restaurant reviews when deciding where to buy their meals.

“Gen Z has a reputation for spontaneous spending, but the data tells a different story,” the survey noted. “Having grown up with endless information, Gen Z naturally cross-references, compares and digs into the details before choosing where to spend.”

Vetting reviews is only part of the buying decision, though.

Yelp’s survey revealed 87 percent of Gen Z say price is an influential factor in dictating which restaurant they’ll buy from.

The young generation’s methodical approach comes as inflation continues to push up the cost of eating out. In June, food away from home cost 3.4 percent more than it did the previous year, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Food truck prices went up 4.4 percent year-on-year, while the cost of eating at full-service restaurants rose 3.7 percent.

The figures paint a pricey picture for Gen Z’s eating habits, but the generation’s knack for delivery helps it save money in a key area: gas. Unleaded fuel prices soared after the U.S. attacked Iran on February 28, reaching multi-year highs in May and costing drivers in some states as much as $6 a gallon.

Though prices have receded in the past month, they were still 27 percent higher in June than the previous year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

So while delivered food typically costs more than a homemade meal, Gen Z are avoiding high prices at the pump.

Yet the generation’s penchant for restaurants and food trucks exposes it to a fee-heavy universe that’s come under fire for its lack of transparency.

Delivery services such as DoorDash and Uber Eats often include a series of fees based on factors such as what’s ordered, how far the delivery is and how busy the platform is at the time of purchase. Those fees aren’t always clear to users until they reach the platform’s payment page.

At times, those fees can triple the price of a meal, a fact that’s drawn criticism from lawmakers such as Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.

“Delivery platforms then add extra fees for delivery and other services to the existing markup,” Warren wrote in an April 2024 press release. “Worse, customers often cannot see the fees until just before paying, meaning a large portion of the total cost of ordering is hidden from customers until there is only one button left to press.”

In February 2025, DoorDash settled with the New York Office of the Attorney General for around $16.8 million over the company using customer tips to subsidize drivers’ hourly pay.

Pressure from lawmakers and frustrated customers led DoorDash to overhaul its fee system in July. The company now charges delivery and service fees on every order. A distance fee is added for deliveries longer than 10 miles, in most cases, the company said.

Should inflation continue to drive up restaurant prices, Gen Z may have to turn to cooking at home to cut down on costs.

With some, that change is already happening. Gen Z is turning to their own kitchen for food but, in many cases, they don’t know how to cook.

Part of this is due to schools cutting courses that taught basic cooking skills, according to a July article from the Seattle Times.

Gen Z also grew up in an age of convenience, when ordering delivery required just a few taps in an app.

In any case, the cooking learning curve is steep but not impossible to overcome, said Bella Bucchiotti, a Gen Z food blogger who talked to the Times about what she’s observed from her peers.

“The biggest surprise wasn’t that people couldn’t cook elaborate meals,” Bucchiotti said, “It was that some had never been shown the basics. I’ve had friends ask me how to tell when pasta is al dente or how to dice an onion. Once you know a few fundamental skills, cooking becomes less intimidating. Everyone starts somewhere.”

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