As the cloud kitchen business becomes increasingly popular in our country, Grab Malaysia decided to jump on the bandwagon as well and launched their very own called GrabKitchen.
This GrabKitchen is located in Desa Sri Hartamas and features 11 F&B brands you can mix and match in your order, and pay only a single delivery fee for.
GrabKitchen had already piloted this concept in Jakarta in September 2018, and since then, they’ve expanded into 55 cloud kitchens across Southeast Asia.
The aim of introducing this cloud kitchen is to support growing businesses and independent brands to expand their business more efficiently.
“Not only is the GrabKitchen concept a unique and cost-efficient model for F&B operators, but they will also have ready access to our merchant support tools, strong delivery network and wide customer base,” shared Sean Goh, Managing Director of Grab Malaysia, in a statement.
What Customers & Future Merchants Can Expect
GrabKitchen currently features 11 different F&B brands of various cuisines which are:
- Black Whale
- Kenny Rogers Roasters
- myBurgerLab
- Tasty Chapathi
- The Lunch Box
- Saba Restaurant
- Salad Atelier
- Lim Fried Chicken
- Sang Pisang
- Thong Kee Cafe
- Mohammad Chow Express
For customers within the area, the ability to purchase from different restaurants for your family while paying only a single fee would be quite the value for money.
This list of brands is curated based on their customers’ insights and food preferences.
Editor’s Note: The above paragraph has been changed to reflect greater factual accuracy.
Their opening hours are from 10AM to 10PM, with last orders to be placed by 9:20PM, but that is subject to change according to the Movement Control Order.
Additionally, to ensure that their premises are safe to work in, the cloud kitchen is cleaned and sanitised daily while their merchants and delivery riders comply with the MCO SOPs.
As for future merchants who are interested in joining GrabKitchen, Sean spoke on how Grab’s cloud kitchen expansion helps businesses lower their capital costs and creates more job opportunities.
Expanding into GrabKitchen is said to be a lower risk option for F&B brands since they don’t need to invest as much capital into a new location.
Merchants also wouldn’t have to worry about the marketing burden of managing and promoting an outlet on their own.
“Across the region, F&B brands in GrabKitchens saw an average of 1.6x more sales than their regular outlets,” Sean added. This data was collected from December 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
Cloud Kitchens Aren’t A New Concept Here
We have many other cloud kitchens in Klang Valley, with some examples being TCH Foodworks Co-Working Foodlab and Cookhouse.
However, this single delivery fee for orders from different merchants in the cloud kitchen is the first one here that we’ve heard of thus far, which already creates an incentive for users to try it.
On the merchants’ side, it’s undeniable that being associated with Grab means you gain access to its large userbase, amongst other benefits as pointed out by Sean earlier.
While GrabKitchen’s launch in Malaysia is worth being excited about for some, others have however voiced out some displeasure due to its location.
Residents in Desa Sri Hartamas who commute by the GrabKitchen daily have left complaints in a private residents’ group on Facebook.
They mentioned the congestion that the cloud kitchen has brought to the area, whereby public parking spaces are being taken up, and already-small lanes are often blocked by GrabKitchen’s vehicles, with pictures to prove their points.
Perhaps their feedback can be something Grab takes into consideration when deciding where to launch the next GrabKitchen in Malaysia, as congestion in the area could impact the deliveries themselves negatively too.
- You can learn more about GrabKitchen here.
- You can read more cloud kitchen articles we’ve written here.
Featured Image Credit: GrabKitchen Indonesia