Sizzling Showdown: Hot Dogs vs Hamburgers on the 4th of July

As the scent of sizzling meat fills the air and the sky lights up with colorful bursts of fireworks, there’s no denying that the 4th of July is a day of celebration and delicious outdoor feasts. When it comes to iconic American foods that have become synonymous with this joyous occasion, we’d argue hot dogs and hamburgers reign supreme, and we have the purchase data to prove it. 

The Bun Barometer 

Every Independence Day, millions of hot dog and hamburger buns are sold through Instacart. While we can’t confirm what exactly people are doing with the meat they buy, we can certainly affirm that something delicious is paired with the buns — making them the best indicator of how many hamburgers and hot dogs Americans are consuming. Here’s an idea…

Team Hot Dog or Hamburger?

Let’s take a look at regional variations in bun preferences across the United States, revealing which states have a greater affinity for hot dog buns and which lean toward hamburger buns:

🌭Let’s be frank… Hot dogs are more popular on the 4th of July, with 30 states plus Washington D.C. purchasing more hot dog buns than hamburger buns — from California to New York.

🍔Burger love… Twenty states purchase more hamburger buns, including the entire Pacific Northwest and states in the Northeastern and Southeastern parts of the country — from Washington and Oregon over to Florida and South Carolina.

How About Both?

While we show what each state’s ultimate preference is, we can also confirm there’s a good chance that orders containing hot dog buns may also contain hamburger buns and vice versa. Here are the top 5 items that are most likely to be ordered with both hot dog and hamburger buns:

Relish the Moment 

“What’s a hot dog or a burger without the sauce? One thing is for sure, Americans love their condiments. We took a look at how much sales spike for, what we would argue, are the four main condiments: ketchup, mayo, mustard, and relish. Relish sales beat all others by a long shot, growing by 79% the week of the 4th — most likely because ketchup, mayo, and mustard are more common kitchen staples, whereas relish is more likely to be purchased for festive BBQs,” said Laurentia Romaniuk, Instacart’s Trends Expert.

Get ready to declare your allegiance! Whether you’re savoring a ballpark frank or a juicy patty, and whether it’s covered in every condiment or somewhere in between, we wish you a safe and happy 4th of July! 🇺🇲

Adjusted for Growth:

We adjust Instacart growth percentages by the overall growth of total orders via Instacart. Doing so removes the influence of our platform growth so we can focus on the change in consumer behavior.

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Instacart is the leading grocery technology company in North America, partnering with more than 1,400 national, regional, and local retail banners to deliver from more than 80,000 stores across more than 14,000 cities in North America. To read more Instacart posts, you can browse the company blog or search by keyword using the search bar at the top of the page.