When The Eagles Lose, Fans Order More Food
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – If the 2013 Eagles finish with something similar to the 4-12 record they ended the season with last year, it could add an inch or two to the collective waistline of the fan base.
According to GrubHub, a company that delivers food to customers from hundreds of restaurants in the Philadelphia area (and over 18,000 restaurants in 500 cities): when the Eagles lose, people in Philadelphia order more food.
During the Eagles 2012 season, GrubHub's orders in Philadelphia were 10% higher after losses than after an Eagles win. GrubHub says that they will not attempt to determine the cause of the higher post-loss orders, but the information showed a clear trend.
Perhaps it's shame eating, as many of us are known to partake in. Perhaps fans are less likely to go out to celebrate after a loss, and more likely to stay home. Or maybe the energy it took to watch the Eagles lose last year just meant there were more calories necessary to recover. So it's not necessarily the case that Eagles fans eat more after losses, just that they order more for home delivery.
Andy Reid's waistline seemed to grow during the 2012 season, so perhaps he was a customer.
As for what types of food followed a loss, that trend was pretty clear as well. Losses mean salty food, wins mean sweets.
Burger and pizza orders spiked by 5%-10% after Eagles losses, and Chinese food orders grew by 5%. However, dessert orders (containing ice cream or cake), spiked by 15% after wins, but actually dropped by 25% after an Eagles loss.
It's not just football either, when Temple lost to Indiana in this year's NCAA Tournament, GrubHub orders spiked by 30%. It's also not just a Philadelphia trend. GrubHub orders in Pittsburgh spiked by nearly 60% after Pitt's loss in the NCAA Tournament to Wichita State.
The other Sunday data is much like you'd expect. Eagles Sundays saw between 15% and 25% more orders than during non-Eagles Sundays. Pizza was the #1 most ordered food during game time, and wing orders jumped 55% on game days as opposed to non-game days. Thai food is also popular during football season, seeing a jump of 20% on game days.
