Another Grab product/service? You bet. GrabKitchen is the latest F&B concept that will bring added convenience, affordability, and variety to customers in Malaysia. The delivery-only cloud kitchen will also help restaurant-partners to grow and expand their business more efficiently.
The first GrabKitchen was introduced in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 2018. The concept rapidly expanded to 55 cloud kitchens throughout Southeast Asia including Singapore. I first heard of the unique concept in 2019 and had the opportunity to visit one in Jakarta. Naturally, I asked Sai Alluri, then Head of GrabKitchen the most important question, “When is GrabKitchen coming to Malaysia?” in which he answered, “Stay tuned.”
Well, this is it, folks. GrabKitchen is finally on Malaysian shores.
What is GrabKitchen?
So, let’s get the basics out of the way. GrabKitchen is a cloud kitchen. No, it doesn’t operate from the stratosphere (we’re not quite there yet) but is essentially a shared kitchen where multiple merchants co-exist in one location.
These F&B merchant/restaurant-partners are curated using data science which pinpoints a location that has a supply and demand gap. This could be a particular cuisine or food item that’s in demand or popular within a locale. Typically 8-15 merchants are curated per outlet.
It’s a truly plug-and-play model where merchants can onboard for relatively low cost, one of the key benefits of the concept. No costly and time-consuming renovation, no scouting for location, no worrying about marketing and logistics.
Food businesses can range from small businesses and popular “local hero” chain brands. These businesses gain instant access to Grab’s network, subsequently expanding their reach and growing their customer base.
According to Grab, F&B brands in GrabKitches across the region saw an average of 1.6x more sales than their regular outlets.
How does GrabKitchen benefit you?
GrabKitchen is designed from ground up to cater for food delivery (although in cities like Jakarta, Grab is experimenting with a hybrid dine-in concept). Unlike a regular F&B business where orders are split between dine-in, take-away and delivery customers, GrabKitchens have a dedicated pick-up area so there’s no “competition” with dine-in customers. In short, faster delivery times. And because there is a variety of food from a single location, drivers save time and the hassle of picking up from different locations.
For delivery-partners, this potentially means more orders, more jobs and more income opportunities.
As for you, the customer, you’ll be able to enjoy a wider selection of food and cuisine per order. Previously, you can only order a particular cuisine from a single merchant. The ability to “mix and match”will enable you to save money as you don’t have to order from multiple merchants and pay separate delivery fees.
Where is GrabKitchen in Malaysia?
The first GrabKitchen in Malaysia is strategically located in Hartamas and is available from 10am to 10pm, with the last orders to be placed by 9.20pm (subject to changes to the MCO). You can also choose the “self-pick-up” zero delivery fee option.
Participating merchants include Kenny Rogers Roasters, Salad Atelier, Tasty Chapathi, LFC Malaysia, Black Whale, myBurgerLab, Saba Restaurant, Sang Pisang MY, The Lunch Box, and Thong Kee.
