Bubble tea, first introduced in Taiwan in the 1980s has done on to become a global phenomenon made popular by Internet foodies. In a recent Grab article titled ‘Bubble Tea Craze in GrabFood’, the ride-hailing giant highlighted Southeast Asia’s growing obsession with the drink. GrabFood is an extended service of Grab, the transportation network company, that does food deliveries.
Lockdowns and restricted movement control implemented by countries around the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic has seen people go berserk at hypermarkets, hoarding food supplies. As people are urged to self-isolate and stay home, there has been a surge of demand in food delivery services in Southeast Asia.
Food delivery has seen an exponential increase in demand all across the region as ASEAN member states enforce partial or even full lockdowns on their citizens. No more is this more evident than in Malaysia, a country where eating out is a popular activity when it comes to daily meals. Even before the COVID-19 outbreak, food delivery services had affected the dining behaviour of Southeast Asians.
