GrabFood, a leading food delivery platform, has unveiled the “60 Best Food Merchant of the Year” at the #GrabThumbsUp Awards 2024 event. Organized under the concept of ‘The Journey of Passion’, the awards presentation ceremony aims to honor and recognize outstanding Grab merchant-partners across the country who are passionate and committed to providing  exceptional and delectable customer experiences. This year, the awards winners, pre-selected by Grab, were judged by an honorary panel of food gurus and lifestyle experts, namely M.L. Pason ‘Ink’ Svasti, Thitid ‘Chef Ton’ Tassanakajohn, Arom ‘Cutto’ Phoharnrattanakul, and Patsaya Chaorussameekul. 

Fresh award categories were introduced in response to current consumer trends, such as ‘The Sustainable Brand of the Year,’ granted to theCOMMONS, ‘The Best Celebrity Merchant of the Year’ for SOURI by Win Metawin, and ‘The Best New Menu of the Year,’ awarded to Shine Muscat Tea by BEARHOUSE. Additionally, special awards were bestowed upon the ‘Most Influential Food Influencers of the Year,’ including Mawin Thaweephon, Sawitri ‘June’ Rochanapruk, and Bim KinLak.

Worachat Luxkanalode, Country Head of Grab Thailand, stated, “For the third consecutive year, GrabFood has proudly organized the #GrabThumbsUp Awards to recognize the most delightful food merchants nationwide. Chosen from our extensive merchant-partner base, which includes street food vendors, cafes and fine-dining restaurants, these merchants have demonstrated excellence in taste and service. This year’s theme,  ‘The Journey of Passion’ highlights our commitment to acknowledging the remarkable and passionate merchants who consistently deliver exceptional culinary experiences to consumers.” 

“Our judging criteria remain stringent, encompassing factors such as food taste, brand reputation, and popularity, as evidenced by sales performance and user reviews with a minimum rating of 4.5 (out of 5) and over 100 positive reviews on the platform. In addition, we have introduced new criteria including evaluating the business concept and efficiency in business operations to underscore merchants’ dedication to upholding and enhancing service quality standards for an improved customer experience,” added Worachat.

The #GrabThumbsUp Awards 2024 was honored to have esteemed food and lifestyle experts on the judging panel to meticulously identify and select “The Best Merchant of the Year.” The panel comprised M.L. Pason ‘Ink’ Svasti, a renowned Thai food taster, guru, and judges on popular cooking shows such as MasterChef Thailand and IRON Chef Thailand; Thitid ‘Chef Ton’ Tassanakajohn, an illustrious chef and owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Du, featured in Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants;  Arom ‘Cutto’ Phoharnrattanakul, a well-known YouTuber from the Tigercry channel; and Patsaya Chaorussameekul, editor of THE STANDARD LIFE. In total,  488 merchants across the country received the  #GrabThumbsUp, with 60 outstanding merchants recognized as the Best Merchant of the Year across various categories, including new award categories reflecting current consumer trends. Highlights include;

• The Sustainable Brand of the Year: This award recognizes a merchant committed to operating an environmentally conscious business and striving for sustainable growth through various campaigns. The honor went to ‘theCOMMONS,’ a lifestyle community dedicated to giving back to society and the environment.
• The Best New Menu of the Year: The award goes to ‘BEARHOUSE’ for its ‘Shine Muscat Tea,’ which gained viral popularity and became the talk of the town on social media, as evidenced by a significant increase in sales volume.
• The Best Celebrity Merchant of the Year: The award goes to ‘SOURI’, the trendiest dessert destination owned by a heartthrob celebrity Win Metawin. Renowned for its signature Korean-style macarons, the shop has become a viral sensation, offering an array of vibrant colors and delectable fillings.
• The Operational Excellence of the Year: The award goes to ‘Lucky’s Hungry,’ a renowned American fried rice specialty shop, and ‘Khaomooyang Khun Ying,’ in Pattaya. They achieved high sales volume while demonstrating efficiency in their operation and management system, including food order management, food preparation, and quick delivery times to delivery partners, allowing consumers to receive fresh food with minimal waiting time.
• Special awards were presented to GrabFood’s Most Influential Food Influencer of the Year, including Mawin Thaweephon, the master of food reviewing from @Mawin Finfer’s channel; Sawitri ‘June’ Rochanapruk, a celebrity emcee who transformed into a food reviewer on her Instagram @Junesawitri; and Prangkaew Buntornrungroj, a YouTuber from the popular food review channel @Bim KinLak.

“We aspire for the #GrabThumbsUp Award serves as another encouragement platform to support merchant-partners who have worked tirelessly over the years.May it ignite inspiration among other merchants on our platform to pursue their passions and provide users with exceptional and delightful experiences. GrabFood will further enhance our service to accommodate evolving consumer behavior beyond merely being a food delivery platform, while continuing to empower our merchant-partners to seize business opportunities.

More information about the #GrabThumbsUp Awards 2024, please visit

 https://www.grab.com/th/blog/grabthumbsup-awards-2024/