Grab turns to dine-in services to stem fall in food delivery growth

Sign up for the Daily Newsletter, sent exclusively to our premium subscribers. We break down the big and messy topics of Asia’s tech and startup community. Get the newsletter in your inbox everyday with a premium subscription.

Hello readers,

There’s often more than one path we can take to reach the same endpoint. The universe, after all, has a mischievous sense of humor.

For instance, I’m wired to mapping platforms to reach a particular destination. Consequently, I get lost in my own hometown when I don’t have access to these apps. But others like my father, hardened by the inconveniences of the pre-smartphone era, can navigate the streets as if the map were on the back of their hands.

Similarly, there are many different ways to enter an industry. For example, India-based unicorn Swiggy jumped straight into food delivery while its rival Zomato started out as a portal offering restaurant listings and recommendations.

Likewise, Grab was a ride-hailing firm before it launched services like food delivery. But in its most recent quarter, its food delivery gross merchandise value showed signs of waning as more people reverted to dining out as the Covid-19 pandemic died down.

As a result, Grab has introduced a slew of new dine-in features in its bid to provide users the quintessential “end-to-end” experience.

Today’s featured piece assesses whether Grab’s latest venture could boost revenue meaningfully and cushion the persistent decline in its food delivery volumes.

Today we look at:

• Whether Grab’s dine-in services can make up for lost ground in food delivery
• How Livspace and Singapore Land Authority have denied claims of improper contract awarding
• The US$47.7 million that Indonesia-based eFishery netted for its series D round
• Other newsy highlights such as a Deliveroo report forecasting how AI will change Singaporeans’ eating habits and dining experiences by 2040

— Shravanth

P.S.: If you’re an entrepreneur looking for funding, fill out this form to get your company featured on our list of fundraising startups.

Premium summary

Deeper into the restaurant world

Image credit: Timmy Loen

No conflict of interest here

Quick bytes