Grab AI Assistant Drives 20% Order Growth for Thai Restaurants

Grab Thailand announced the success of its 'GrabMerchant AI Assistant' feature after rolling it out to restaurants on the platform, finding that orders increased by over 20%. The Thai Chamber of Commerce, through its Retail Sub-Committee on Digital Support, partnered with Grab Thailand to organize 'TCC Biz Talk 2026: Smart Restaurant Mastery with AI – Empower Business, Reduce Costs, Increase Profits, Use AI to Attract Customers.' The event aimed to upskill restaurant entrepreneurs, especially in AI, with gurus from the food business and technology sectors such as 'Penguin', 'Innospace' startup promotion and development platform, and 'HAAB' famous egg tart brand sharing knowledge to help operators adapt effectively to rapidly changing technology.

Jariya Jirathiwattana, Chair of the Retail Committee of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, stated that the Chamber aims to elevate Thai entrepreneurs' capabilities through enhancing digital knowledge and skills to improve business efficiency. The collaboration with Grab aims to help restaurant operators access insights from the food delivery platform and learn to apply AI, aligning with the 'Unlocking New Growth' policy that seeks to mobilize all sectors to create business opportunities and drive a strong, competitive, and sustainable Thai economy.

Jantusa Thananiudom, Managing Director of Grab Thailand and Chair of the Retail Sub-Committee on Digital Support, noted that restaurant entrepreneurs face all-round challenges this year, including rising costs and sluggish purchasing power. Kasikorn Research Center projects the restaurant and beverage market in 2026 will grow only 3.9%, slowing from the previous year. This trend makes it even more crucial for shops to enhance competitiveness, particularly by adopting technology like AI to boost efficiency.

As Thailand's leading food ordering app, Grab has continuously supported restaurant operators, including developing the GrabMerchant AI Assistant feature, which acts as an AI assistant for merchant partners on the Grab platform since 2025 at no cost. This helps shops analyze transaction data more easily, such as sales figures, popular menus, peak ordering times, and customer behavior, enabling better menu management, business planning, and marketing to increase revenue opportunities.

Data from Grab platform merchants over the past 10 months (January–October) shows that using GrabMerchant AI Assistant helped restaurant operators develop sales in multiple areas, with interesting insights including: over 295,000 restaurant partners currently use the assistant, with 40% using it regularly and averaging 10 sessions per month. Merchants using the feature consistently for six months saw orders increase by over 20%. Menu analysis and adjustment recommendations ranked as the top query on the assistant, with over 30,000 requests (monthly average).