Americans eat enough grilled cheeses a year to fill 900 Olympic swimming pools

This story version has been formatted as an on-air script for broadcast outlets. See the original research story here.

HOW MANY GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES DO YOU THINK YOU EAT IN A YEAR? ACCORDING TO A NEW SURVEY, AMERICA EATS ENOUGH GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICHES IN A YEAR TO FILL NEARLY 900 OLYMPIC-SIZED SWIMMING POOLS.

THE STATE-BY-STATE POLL OF 5,000 ADULTS FOUND THAT A SINGLE AVERAGE PERSON EATS 36 GRILLED CHEESES PER YEAR.

CONDUCTED BY ONEPOLL ON BEHALF OF PEPPERIDGE FARM, THREE IN FIVE AGREED THAT GRILLED CHEESES ARE BEST MADE AT HOME (62%) AND 40% SAID THEY PREFER EATING IT FOR LUNCH MORE THAN ANY OTHER MEAL TIME.

HOWEVER, MISSISSIPPI RATHER ENJOYED THE CLASSIC SANDWICH AS A BREAKFAST OPTION (24%), KENTUCKY FOUND IT BEST AS AN AFTERNOON SNACK (33%), SOUTH DAKOTA SAID IT’S PERFECT FOR DINNER (35%) AND OREGON CLAIMED IT’S BEST AS A LATE NIGHT SNACK (12%).

THE SURVEY ALSO REVEALED WHAT RESPONDENTS BELIEVE THE ‘PERFECT’ GRILLED CHEESE LOOKS LIKE: TWO SLICES OF AMERICAN CHEESE ON WHITE BREAD, MEDIUM TOASTED, CUT DIAGONALLY.

WHAT QUALITIES DOES GOOD BREAD NEED TO HAVE?

• It needs to toast well - 57%
• It needs to have a crispy outside - 51%
• It needs to hold the ingredients and not fall apart - 39%
• It needs to have a soft inside - 29%
• It needs to be thick sliced - 16%

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 5,000 Americans, 100 from each state was commissioned by Pepperidge Farm between Mar. 8 and Mar. 25, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).