Picture this: you’re on your way to a cookout in your friend’s backyard. You pack a cooler full of meat, hop in an Uber, get to your friend’s house and fire up the grill only to realize, yup, all that meat is still in the car.
Uber recently released its 8th annual list of the wildest food items riders left behind, compiled by looking through rider reports made via the app's help page. Buckle up, folks, it all adds up to a pretty hilarious spread. We’re talking coveted burritos, chicken spaghetti and “valuable” honey.
According to the ride-hailing company, the time of day people are most likely to report losing things is from 9-10 p.m. Perhaps those Ubering home from dinner had a few drinks with their meal? Just a guess.
From painfully pricey restaurant leftovers to home-cooked dishes and, perhaps most urgently, delicacies that are prone to melting or spoiling in the heat, here are some of the most memorable messages Uber drivers have received from forgetful foodies on the move.
20 funniest messages from riders who left food behind:
1. Leftovers from Pizzeria Portofino. Soooo expensive.
2. A whole smoked pork belly
3. Cooler with meat
4. I left the ice cream cones in your car and was worried about it melting and making a mess
5. A nice cheese. Feel free to keep!
6. A pan of chicken spaghetti
7. Bucket of cookies
8. Benihana garlic butter
9. Mason jar with cilantro
10. Church cookies in the trunk
11. Green lettuce in a jar in your car
12. Fly a-- burrito
13. Side of salmon
14. Tomatoes (Don’t need ‘em back, just a heads up so they don’t cook in your car!)
15. A tray of meat pie
16. I left my pizza in your car! I can’t believe I left it!
17. Bowl of meat is in your car! And i need it
18. I left some pasta in the back by accident. Feel free to have it! It was so yummy and I didn’t eat out of the plate. Thanks again!
19. Jar of oysters
20. Small container of valuable honey
Beverages also got the boot
1. Case!! Michelob
2. 12 pack Twisted Teas
3. 3 cans of ginger ale
4. I left a 12 pack of Sprite
5. White Claw 12 pack
6. 8 pack of Mountain Dew
7. Rumplemintz
8. My Diet Coke :(
9. A fifth of Amsterdam liquor
10. 12 pack of Budweiser
11. 2 Four Loko
12. Champagne Veuve Clicquot
13. $150.00 worth of liquor from the Carnival Cruise Line
14. Wine opener engraved with my name on it
15. Fernet coins
Of course, riders aren’t just leaving perishable items behind. Other unusual lost-and-found messages pleaded for the return of a live pet turtle, a painting from SeaWorld, a framed Taylor Swift autograph and a candle that says, “See you in court.”
The good news? The Uber help page has simple steps you can take to track down a lost item. Friendly notes with a heads up about potentially messy or stinky food products are appreciated, even if you don’t want the items back. But if you are hoping to get your hands on them again, the best thing to do is call your driver. And if they’re nice enough to bring you back that bucket of cookies, don’t forget to leave a tip — and maybe offer them a bite while you’re at it.
