While there’s nothing quite like cozying up at home with a meal delivered to one’s doorstep, people still enjoy heading out to dine at their favourite haunts. 

That’s why our product team has been thinking about how the Grab app can support F&B merchants and consumers beyond deliveries. The result? Our new dine-in feature. Grab users can now discover discount offers through the app and redeem them at the restaurants they frequent.

It was designed to offer our existing users more affordable and convenient ways to eat out at their favourite joints, while also encouraging them to visit new F&B outlets. 

(Read more: A round-up of our new, affordable options for Grab users)

Win-win for diners and merchant-partners

Food delivery apps are already the most popular way Southeast Asians are discovering new F&B brands—ahead of food blogs, their friends and family network, as well as social media platforms. 

Some 91 per cent of consumers across Southeast Asia say they have used the app to discover new restaurants and stores they have never tried before, Grab’s latest Southeast Asia Food and Grocery Trends 2023 report showed. 

The dine-in deals we developed will offer users even more value as they browse for food options, allowing them to look up deals ahead of time or when they’re at the restaurant. 

Dine-in also opens up new avenues for restaurants to boost their sales and visibility. 

Offering discounts can help merchants fill their tables and lay the groundwork for building customer loyalty. 

The ability to devise strategies to encourage dine-in—along with food delivery and  self-pickup—on a single platform, gives merchant-partners options to expand their revenue streams and reach.

(Read more: Grab Merchant Centre’s new physical space was designed to help small and medium businesses grow digitally)

Self-pickup was first introduced during the pandemic as an alternative to delivery. Consumers can order through the app and head to the F&B outlet to collect their food once it’s ready. It stuck around, showing that consumers value options beyond delivery.

Self pick-up orders and dine-in transactions now already contribute 2.4 times more to Grab’s total order volume in the twelve months leading up to July 2023, compared to the same period in 2021. 

How it works 

The dine-in option appears next to the delivery and pick-up options across the top of the GrabFood app in select cities across Southeast Asia. 

The dine-in feature can easily be accessed on GrabFood’s homepage.

From there, users can look for nearby restaurants and brands and filter them according to cuisine types and occasions. Users can browse the menu and read reviews to make their decision and even book a Grab ride to the restaurant directly from the merchant’s profile page. 

Users can get merchant details at a glance and purchase discounted vouchers from their favourite restaurants.

We’re working on several other updates for dine-in. For example, consumers can expect to be rewarded for their loyalty when they return to the same merchant regularly.

To encourage users to try out this feature, we’re also allowing them to get a refund on pre-purchased vouchers if they decide not to use it. This will be progressively rolled out across our markets.

Komsan Chiyadis

GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand

Komsan Chiyadis

GrabFood delivery-partner, Thailand

COVID-19 has dealt an unprecedented blow to the tourism industry, affecting the livelihoods of millions of workers. One of them was Komsan, an assistant chef in a luxury hotel based in the Srinakarin area.

As the number of tourists at the hotel plunged, he decided to sign up as a GrabFood delivery-partner to earn an alternative income. Soon after, the hotel ceased operations.

Komsan has viewed this change through an optimistic lens, calling it the perfect opportunity for him to embark on a fresh journey after his previous job. Aside from GrabFood deliveries, he now also picks up GrabExpress jobs. It can get tiring, having to shuttle between different locations, but Komsan finds it exciting. And mostly, he’s glad to get his income back on track.