Hong Kong food delivery services predict good times will continue to roll despite relaxation of Covid-19 restrictions
- Major food delivery services say demand will not let up as restaurant restrictions continue to be eased
- But services Deliveroo and Foodpanda see room to diversify into other business areas
Hong Kong’s two major food delivery services have said they are optimistic the expansion of the market will continue, despite a gradual return to normality from coronavirus restrictions because Covid-19 has changed people’s dining habits.
Foodpanda on Monday said it had 60 per cent more active customers than it did in early 2020, and rival Deliveroo added it had found that Hongkongers spent 22 per cent more on their orders than before the pandemic struck.
App Annie, an AI-powered platform on customer information, said there were 1,244,926 Foodpanda active users while Deliveroo had 705,348 by October.
Residents have faced bans on restaurant dining after 6pm and caps on the number of people allowed at a table over the past three years under a variety of anti-epidemic measures.
The authorities scrapped opening restrictions on restaurants and increased the number of patrons allowed at each restaurant table from eight to 12 in October.
But Andrew Hui Chee-yin, general manager of Deliveroo Hong Kong, said he was confident about growth in food delivery, as suggested by an October customer survey.