Mandalay, Myanmar, 24 July 2020 – Grab, the leading everyday everything App in Myanmar and Southeast Asia, has today launched GrabFood, its on-demand digital food delivery service, in Mandalay. The introduction of GrabFood in Myanmar’s second largest city comes after the growing popularity and take-up of the service by customers in Yangon in recent months, with thousands of customers ordering their favourite meals daily using the same Grab App they already trust for daily transportation services.

With GrabFood, Grab has invested in human resources, city operations, and technology to bring the industry-leading digital ordering platform to Mandalay eaters who can enjoy their favourite foods from all across the city, with convenient, fast and affordable deliveries. Customers need not head out and meddle with crowds especially as health authorities continue to encourage social distancing; instead, users can rely on GrabFood to save them time to focus on other daily priorities as they await safe deliveries of their food orders. At launch, GrabFood is ready to cater to customers in the four major Mandalay townships – Aungmyethazan, Chanayethazan, Chanmyathazi and Maha Aungmye. 

In preparation for the launch of GrabFood, the Grab Myanmar team on-boarded the largest number of licensed business food merchant-partners amongst the delivery platforms currently operating in Mandalay. They include popular chain eateries such as Lotteria, The Pizza Company, Manhattan Fish Market and YKKO, along with numerous other locally-owned F&B businesses such as Easy Ray, Moe Wai Kyaw Teahouse, Unique Mandalay Tea Room and NiMi Drinks. With no minimum order required, customers simply use the Grab App they already trust to easily make orders of their favourite food and drinks. During the initial trial period, orders were found to be delivered by Grab’s efficient delivery-partners on motorbikes to the customer’s doorstep in under 30 minutes.

Said Ko Myat Kaung Min, Head of GrabFood Myanmar, “As the everyday everything app, we are delighted to bring GrabFood to Mandalay and to deliver the favourite dishes of our customers right into their hands! Aided by Grab’s technologies, we are seeing a shift in how people in Myanmar consume their favourite foods as well as how more traditional restaurant operators have embraced digital channels to find and serve more customers as the nation takes steps towards economic recovery.” 

“Through the Grab platform, our merchant-partners experience first-hand the different service quality and our commitment to long-term success. They have direct access to our technology and tools to help them shift to online sales and expand their visibility. As many restaurants and merchant-partners work hard to get back on their feet, we are here to help them undergo a digital transformation for a faster business recovery. This is especially important for smaller establishments who prior to this, did not have the means to grow their business beyond their current storefront. With access to a much wider customer base through GrabFood, they can no doubt expect more orders!” he added.

Enjoy Food Delivered to Your Doorstep with a Few Simple Taps on the Grab App

With GrabFood, eaters in Mandalay will never have to miss a meal and will get to satisfy their food cravings in the comfort of their own home or office. The service saves customers travel time to and from the restaurant, and offers them added safety by avoiding exposure to public crowds. During an initial trial of the service in June 2020, the Grab Myanmar team noticed that customers received food deliveries within an average time of 30 minutes.

Grab customers in Mandalay can make a GrabFood order with three simple steps. First, tap on ‘Food’ on the home screen of the Grab App. Then, select the preferred restaurant and add menu items to the order ‘Basket’. Finally, tap on ‘Place Order’ to confirm the order. After an order is placed, Grab users can use features in the Grab App such as Live Order Tracking, direct messaging and calls with delivery-partners. They can also contact Grab’s 24/7 Customer Experience team for assistance should the need arise.

As a welcome treat to celebrate the arrival of GrabFood in Mandalay, new GrabFood customers can enjoy a MMK 3,000 discount and free deliveries on their first two orders. To enjoy these discounts, customers should apply the promo code ‘NEWFOODIE’ and place orders with a minimum value of MMK 5,000.

Digital Transformation and Creating Income Opportunities for F&B Businesses in Mandalay

During the COVID-19 period, F&B businesses faced numerous challenges including a hit on revenue as dining-in for customers was not allowed. Grab’s digital platform served as the much-needed innovation to help F&B businesses in Yangon adopt digital transformation and to serve customers through delivery orders facilitated by GrabFood. Through GrabFood marketing campaigns and operational efficiencies, food merchant-partners enjoyed a boost in sales during the challenging period, and were uplifted to continue their businesses and support the livelihoods of their staff.

Grab aims to replicate these efforts in Mandalay and support the city’s F&B businesses by helping them digitise their operations and sales to tap on new revenue streams and to expand the reach of customers to serve. Merchant-partners instantly get an online storefront, opening up a new source of incremental orders and revenue on top of their usual in-store visits. They also gain access to GrabFood’s marketing channels and promotional schemes, boosting their business further. This opportunity was recognised by some of the top F&B brands in Mandalay who have partnered with Grab exclusively as they value the quality of services and technology that GrabFood delivers.

The Grab Myanmar team is actively on-boarding new F&B businesses on its platform every week. F&B businesses in Mandalay, including small, independent food establishments and hawkers who wish to be a GrabFood merchant-partner can call the hotline +959977083330 or email gf.mm.merchants@grab.com. 

Creating Jobs in Mandalay

Grab has on-boarded hundreds of delivery-partners to operate the GrabFood service and provides numerous benefits to protect their livelihoods. In addition to remuneration above the industry standard, GrabFood delivery-partners are positioned for success with safety gear and equipment, supplies of personal hygiene hygiene, along with training on food handling and hygiene as well as road safety. 

All delivery-partners are covered by Trip Insurance during each GrabFood delivery. In addition, all delivery-partners are eligible for financial assistance of MMK 200,000 under the Grab Partner Relief Fund should they be diagnosed with COVID‑19 or officially placed into quarantine by the health authorities.