Grab Hosts Grabfood 5-Star Awards 2024, Inks MoC With Tourism Malaysia

PETALING JAYA, Feb 20 (Bernama) -- GrabFood, a leading food delivery platform, once again honoured its partner restaurants for delighting millions of taste buds nationwide at the GrabFood 5-Star Awards 2024, held recently at M World Hotel here.

The annual awards featured nine categories, with 148 top-rated restaurants as finalists, garnering nearly 20,000 votes from across the country.

Grab Malaysia Commercial and Deliveries director Jiong Jian Tan said this year’s awards saw the introduction of new categories, such as the ‘Trending Dine-Out Restaurant’, highlighting the diversity and uniqueness of Malaysia’s culinary scene.

He said this addition was part of Grab’s continued efforts to support merchant-partners’ growth both online and offline, reflecting the dynamic nature of the food and beverage industry.

“Among the winners are Grill Fish in the ‘Best of the Best’ category and Nasi Ayam Gepuk Original Korn Kitchen in the ‘Rising Stars’ category, both recognised for their dedication to quality and customer satisfaction,” he said in a statement.

“In 2024, GrabFood’s partners collectively earned more than RM3 billion, with SMEs experiencing a 20 per cent year-on-year growth in earnings, demonstrating how digital platforms can drive sustainable growth for local businesses,” he said.

Meanwhile, Nengbakso founders Noerisda and Bazirah, who won the ‘Crowd’s Favourite Healthy Asian Food’ category, described their victory as a huge milestone, crediting Grab’s marketing support for helping them expand their customer base, strengthen their brand presence, and boost sales.

“The ratings and reviews built trust among customers, encouraging repeat orders while increasing awareness of both our restaurant and signature dishes,” said the siblings.

The 2024 GrabFood 5-Star Awards also witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation (MoC) with Tourism Malaysia, aimed at boosting Malaysia’s gastro-tourism sector while unlocking more opportunities for local food businesses.

Tourism Malaysia director-general Datuk Manoharan Periasamy said the agency was proud to collaborate with Grab Malaysia to position Malaysia as a global gastronomic hub.

“Initiatives such as the GrabFood 5-Star Awards not only showcase our culinary diversity but also empower and enable local entrepreneurs to reach greater heights.

“We look forward to leveraging the Grab platform and its extensive scale to make it even more convenient for tourists and travellers to discover the culinary hotspots all across Malaysia in enhancing their experience and appreciation of our rich food culture.

“We also hope this initiative will open more platforms to other corporate companies to willingly work with Tourism Malaysia as strategic partners on our way towards VM2026,” he said in the same statement.

The event also featured batik patterns designed by Arif Rafhan Othman, which adorned the glittering awards as a thematic backdrop.

Grab’s platform serves one in 20 people across Southeast Asia, underscoring its role in connecting communities, with 65 per cent of foreign tourists in Malaysia relying on the app for convenience.

-- BERNAMA