Our Sunday nights will be a little less eerie, mysterious, and lowkey insane now that season three of The White Lotus has ended. This season was arguably much more crazy than the previous two, and director Mike White kept us hanging on for all 90 minutes of last night’s White Lotus finale. This season of The White Lotus transported us to Thailand with authentic Thai food in each episode — and it seems like fans noticed. While some fans have made Thai takeout a Sunday night tradition, thousands of viewers ordered celebratory Thai food for The White Lotus finale, and the influx of fan orders led to carryout and delivery delays from restaurants across the globe.
Why did so many people order Thai food for The White Lotus finale?
In season one, viewers dove into the divine waters of Hawaii; the tempting nature of Italy in the second; and season three took fans to the islands of Thailand with a season focused on the wellness culture of The White Lotus hotel. Despite the unpredictable plot line, one thing is for sure: The White Lotus’ third season is a celebration of Thailand and its culture. And, while the Southeast Asian country may be a bit too far for some fans to travel to, there’s a much more convenient way to feel immersed in the crazy world of Saxton, Belinda, or even Gary from the comfort of your own home: eating. During last night’s finale, fans took to social media posting the long lines and packed sidewalks of delivery drivers and fans alike waiting outside Thai restaurants for their watch party food orders.
One video by @looseyisbackagain on TikTok showed tens, if not hundreds, of customers and delivery drivers waiting outside Soothr, a Thai restaurant in New York City’s East Village. @SheerinLemieux commented on the video, writing “Omg my poor driver last night it took almost 3 hours!!!!!”
According to TikTok user @stoopsound, the demand for Thai food on Sunday night was so high that his local, “Thai place ran out of pineapples.” Given that season three was averaging nearly 15 million American viewers each episode, last night’s demand for Thai food checks out. Even DoorDash’s social media poked fun in the comments of @looseyisbackagain’s post, writing “as long as no one ordered a piña colada…” (which, for those unfamiliar, is a key drink in the finale.)
How busy were Thai restaurants during The White Lotus finale?
One fan took to Threads posting, “We ordered from the fantastic local Thai restaurant Chinta for the @hbo White Lotus finale and it turns out every single person in Greenpoint [New York] had the same idea.” The fan went on to add, “They got backed up by 40 orders… people were singing The White Lotus theme song.”
And while it may be a bit of a hyperbole, @leonhorvath’s TikTok video claimed that “15,000 DoorDash bikes” were parked outside a local Thai restaurant prior to the finale.
According to The Guardian, the show helped boosted UK Thai takeaway orders by up to 25% in the UK. The sheer number of orders and customers also meant that fans were waiting for their food past the finale’s start time. TikTok user @natdoll posted a video writing, “pov: you ordered Thai food for the white lotus finale at 7pm but so did everyone else so it isn’t ready” as the clock approached 9pm.
User @AnnetteO’Dell echoed the sentiment, commenting that they also “Waited over two hours for my Thai food last night omg.”
If you haven’t watched the finale yet, grab your Thai food — maybe steer clear of the piña coladas and fruits — and tissues because you’ll definitely go through all the emotions.