Why 700,000 people ordered food they knew would never arrive
A South Korean student developed an app called 'Food Never Comes' that allows users to place fake food delivery orders from fictional restaurants. The app has gained viral popularity, with over 700,000 orders placed by users seeking the dopamine hit of ordering without the actual consumption.
Why it matters
The phenomenon illustrates changing consumer behaviors and the psychological role of digital rituals in modern life.
“I’m addicted to food delivery,” says Ho-yoon Pa, a 23-year-old mechanical engineering student from South Korea. “Food delivery is extremely accessible here, so I ordered a lot, ate too much, gained weight and harmed my health.” One night, while once again scrolling through delivery apps, she found herself wishing she could place an order that would never arrive. “That way, I would be healthier, and so would my wallet,” she says. That strange wish gave rise to an equally strange viral phenomenon: a food delivery service for meals that never come. Food Never Comes is an app and website developed by Pa that allows users to order dishes from dozens of fictional restaurants across 11 countries. No one cooks the food, no courier delivers it and no customer receives anything. So what does it provide?
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