Ridesharing Forum dug deeper into this. Just when you think that people from Hawaii would order local beachside food – like maybe, pineapples? – think again, because a recent DoorDash study revealed that Hawaiians love to order loaded fries.
Loaded fries are simply like McDonald’s fries, or fries from KFC, or McDonald’s fries on steroids – meaning, thicker – but topped with cheese, gravy, bacon, kalua pig, and more toppings like jalapeños, tomatoes, and pickles – something that you’d need a tissue with to wipe your fingers after almost every bite.
The world’s number one food delivery app assessed its 2025 and early 2026 delivery data to find that Hawaiians love to order loaded fries. And, it’s not a bandwagon-thing.
Local restaurants, diners, and food trucks admit it. The loaded fries orders are reflected on receipts and order forms.
Aside from its uniqueness, a plate of loaded fries is easy to share and customize, which may explain why families and friends love to order them. Perhaps during a Netflix movie-watching, or when friends come over at home. Since what else fun thing to do in beachside Hawaii than to have meaningful conversations over these loaded fries, right?
This trend also highlights Hawaii’s distinct food culture, where the island’s residents mix classic comfort foods with local flavors – such as with the kalua pig topping and teriyaki sauces – to create recipes unique to the state. This makes the fries and cheese incredibly irresistible.
The Ridesharing Forum team went the extra mile to find out where the Hawaiians get their pizza, oh sorry, their loaded fries.
In O’ahu, they get them from:
- Boarded Up by Chubbies
- Chubby Fries & Wings
- Chubby’s for the bulgogi fries
- E.A.R.L.
- Leeward Drive-In
- Pit Stop.
- Surf N Salsa for the tsunami fries
- Waikiki Brewing Co. for the tsunami style
In Maui, the favorite sources are:
- Burger Bus
- Cupies
- Earth Aloha Eats
- Da Fries
Meanwhile, on Hawai’i Island and in Moloka’i, the orders are from:
- Wyatt’s Place for the tallow fries with Philly cheesesteak toppings
- Manae Goods and Grind for the hurricane fries (yes, that’s how it’s called)
So, why loaded fries? Aside from the fact that eating fries is just like playing at the casino, enjoying video games, and inhaling vape, in such a way that they trigger the brain’s pleasure centers and release dopamine – combining essential nutrients like fat, carbohydrates, and salt with unique textures and nostalgic emotional triggers, making them a highly addictive food – French fries are also inherently delicious in Hawaii than anywhere else.
A travelers’ group on Facebook asked why French fries in Hawaii are so good, to which the community answered saying, “Because they put truffle oil on [them - it seems] like everywhere we ate had a truffle oil parm option for fries,” “Sunshine makes everything taste better,” and “Cause you know they are the cheapest, yet most satisfying thing you will eat there your whole time [on island - and saving] that cash feels good.”
Coming up next is the full list of the favorite orders during Sunday’s big game. For more food delivery news, keep browsing this Ridesharing Forum site.