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NEW YORK — Who doesn’t love a good sandwich? While there are endless combinations of tasty ingredients to choose from, a new poll finds an age-old classic is still number one — grilled cheese.
The survey of 2,000 people reveals that grilled cheese, chicken, and turkey rule the sandwich category as America’s favorites. Overall, Americans’ favorite sandwiches are grilled cheese (42%), chicken (40%), turkey (30%), ham (27%), tuna (24%), egg (21%), PB&J (21%), and meatball sandwiches (19%).
Commissioned by Buddig in honor of National Sandwich Day on Nov. 3 and conducted by Talker Research, the survey found that sandwiches make up 30% of the average American’s diet. In fact, nearly half (46%) claimed that they could live on sandwiches alone for the rest of their lives.
Americans eat, on average, six sandwiches per week, and it takes people roughly 10 minutes to assemble the perfect sub.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents said they’re “sandwich pragmatists,” and care more about making a sandwich quickly than making it “just right.” As long as they have most of what they want in a sandwich, they’re satisfied. In contrast, 42% say they’re “sandwich chefs.” They like to take their time crafting the perfect sandwich. To them, it’s vital to have all the right ingredients. If they don’t have every element and ingredient they want in a sandwich, they’ll be disappointed.
Getting to the heart of a flawless sandwich, Americans said high-quality meat (64%), airy bread (55%), using all the right condiments (54%), and fresh veggies (40%) are most critical components.
Three-fourths of the poll (74%) always keep the ingredients to make a sandwich on hand, so they can make a quick sandwich in a jiffy. However, 40% reported that they’ve scaled down their sandwiches in general, using fewer ingredients to make them go further due to rising grocery prices.
Two in three people (68%) opt to toast the bread when making a sandwich, and a fifth (19%) still like to cut off the crust. Thirty-two percent cut their sandwiches into rectangles, 35% cut them into triangles, and 33% prefer their sandwiches whole and uncut.
Untoasted lovers are most likely to eat sandwiches whole (44%), and toasted lovers are most likely to cut their sandwiches in triangles (37%). However, those who prefer to toast their bread eat more sandwiches in general, compared to those who prefer untoasted bread (32% vs. 24%).
The majority of Americans (60%) said sandwiches are a staple in their diet. The most popular reasons include that people can eat them hot or cold (54%), it’s easy to switch out ingredients so you don’t tire of eating the same type of sandwich (43%), and that sandwiches don’t require any cooking (42%). In the end, however, 46% said it’s just because they taste amazing.
While sandwiches may seem like simple, straightforward fare, many are taking them to the next level. Three in 10 people have a secret sandwich recipe and, interestingly, meatball (39%) and chicken sandwich lovers (32%) are the most likely to have a secret formula or trick up their sleeves.
Luckily, the respondents were generous enough to share some of their kitchen secrets such as adding chips inside for an extra crunch and marinating the meat overnight.
Other interesting additions include baked bananas, jalapeno jelly, cinnamon, and even raisins. Also, many simply agreed, it’s all about having enough of the right sauce.
“For National Sandwich Day on Nov. 3, we wanted to get to the heart of America’s love of sandwiches,” says Ben Buddig, the fourth-generation owner at Carl Buddig and Company, in a statement. “And whether Americans prefer toasted bread to untoasted, triangles to rectangles or grilled cheese to ham, results show that sandwiches really are a major menu staple that are here to stay.”
Survey methodology
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 Americans evenly split by region; the survey was commissioned by Buddig and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Sept. 25 and Sept. 30, 2024.
