Report: Tea Beats Regular Coffee in US

When it comes to ordering at restaurants and coffee shops, tea is more popular than regular coffee in 30 states, according to a recent report from the point-of-sale platform Toast. The Q1 2024 Restaurant Trends Report aggregated data from 112,000 restaurant locations in select U.S. cities across the U.S.

In the Northeast, customers mostly favored regular coffee as their go-to caffeinated beverage. In the South and Southwest, consumers more frequently opted for tea. The Midwest and Western United States, however, were split, with some states favoring tea and others choosing coffee.

The report also analyzed the price of cups of caffeinated drinks when on the go, finding that on average, consumers paid $3.08 for a cup of regular coffee, $5.14 for cold brew, $5.46 for lattes, and $3.74 for tea in the first quarter of this year.

Hawaii had the most expensive coffee in the country, with an average price of $4.89, approximately 59 percent higher than the national average, according to the report. California was the second-most expensive, averaging about $1 less than Hawaii at $3.88, 26 percent higher than the national average. On the other end of the spectrum, the average price for a cup of coffee in Nebraska was just $2.12, 31 percent below the national average.

Additionally, the report gleaned insights into general breakfast eating, finding that Saturday breakfast transactions grew by six percent year-over-year, while Monday breakfast dining dropped by four percent over the same period.