An affectionate symbol of national cuisine is the protagonist of this Monday (17): pão de queijo. And to celebrate it, iFood reveals that more than 6 million units of this Minas Gerais delicacy that has become a national passion were delivered. On average, 33 thousand pão de queijo were delivered per day across the entire marketplace (Restaurants and Market) – the equivalent of 23 per minute in the first half of 2026.
Looking at all orders for cheese bread on iFood, breakfast is the preferred time for Brazilians to order cheese bread, accounting for more than 53% of orders on the platform. Furthermore, the average order is 2.50 units in 2026 – Brazilians order, on average, two and a half cheese breads per purchase at the bakery.
The survey also reveals the consumption behavior of Brazilians in two categories: in bakeries, ready-made cheese bread reigns supreme at breakfast. Consumption of ready-made, warm cheese bread represents 79% of all orders, reinforcing the strong emotional connection with neighborhood establishments.
In supermarkets, the frozen version is gaining popularity, just like at other times of day – accompanying convenience purchases alongside other items: the lunch break for grocery shopping often includes cheese bread in the cart – 41% of purchases are made during this period. The average of 1.29 items per order reflects the habit of restocking the refrigerator with frozen cheese bread to ensure the convenience of always having it at home.
Stuffed mini cheese bread is a new trend among Brazilians.
When analyzing the combination of items in the same order, Brazilians show that they like variety. The stuffed mini cheese bread emerges as the big champion of orders in Restaurants on iFood: the option is present in 4 of the 6 main product combinations on the app, forming the "perfect match" alongside the traditional version, with a preference for chicken and cream cheese fillings.
Minas Gerais is the second state with the highest consumption, with Belo Horizonte leading the way.
Minas Gerais, the birthplace of the recipe, is the second Brazilian state with the highest consumption of cheese bread in Brazil, behind only the super-populated state of São Paulo. Belo Horizonte is the city with the highest volume of cheese bread orders on iFood in the entire state of Minas Gerais. During the first half of 2026, the weekend in the capital of Minas Gerais (Saturday and Sunday combined) accounted for more than 33% of all orders for the entire week. Ouro Preto stands out for its profile: the city has its peak order time on Fridays in restaurants on iFood and, contrary to the national trend, lunchtime is the most prominent time, with more than 38% of orders concentrated. This pattern in Ouro Preto is also different from the pattern in other cities in the state – where breakfast accounts for the majority of orders.
From Restaurant to Retail: iFood Now Talks About Its Marketplace at the Platform's Largest Ecosystem Event
Following its strategy to expand its marketplace beyond meals, iFood is promoting its largest platform event, iFood Move, in September. The event focuses on the company's business partners, including the campaign "The Brazil That Makes iFood". The iFood Move 2026 program will highlight topics such as how entrepreneurs can better evaluate their sales strategies, suggestions and tips on marketing trends, as well as inspirational stories of Brazilians admired around the world.
The event takes place at São Paulo Expo, in the city of São Paulo, on September 16th and 17th. It features over 70 hours of lectures with prominent figures including Ronaldinho Gaúcho; Diego Barreto, CEO of iFood; Nizan Guanaes, founder of N.ideias and strategic consultant for iFood; Bruno Henriques – CFO of iFood and CEO of iFood Pago; Will Guidara, co-producer of the series “The Bear”, among over 100 other speakers.
Check out the top 10 states in terms of restaurant order volume in the first half of 2026:
1) São Paulo
2) Minas Gerais
3) Rio de Janeiro
4) Paraná
5) Goiás
6) Distrito Federal
7) Santa Catarina
8) Rio Grande do Sul
9) Amazonas
10) Pará
Check out the top 10 states in terms of order volume in supermarkets in the first half of 2026:
1) São Paulo
2) Rio de Janeiro
3) Rio Grande do Sul
4) Pernambuco
5) Minas Gerais
Paraná
Ceará
Bahia
9) Distrito Federal
10) Santa Catarina
Methodology:
The data presented were extracted from the iFood platform and comprise the behavior of valid orders placed throughout Brazil in the first half of 2026 (January 1st to June 30th). The analysis consolidates data from the Restaurants and Market verticals, filtered based on the platform's official taxonomy for the Pão de Queijo (cheese bread) category.
