“60 Best Food Merchants of the Year”

GrabFood has unveiled the “60 Best Food Merchant of the Year” at the #GrabThumbsUp Awards 2024 event.

Organized under the concept of ‘The Journey of Passion’, the awards presentation ceremony aims to honour and recognize outstanding Grab merchant-partners across the country who are passionate and committed to providing exceptional and delectable customer experiences.

This year, the awards winners, pre-selected by Grab, were judged by an honorary panel of food gurus and lifestyle experts, namely M.L. Pason ‘Ink’ Svasti, Thitid ‘Chef Ton’ Tassanakajohn, Arom ‘Cutto’ Phoharnrattanakul, and Patsaya Chaorussameekul. 

Fresh award categories were introduced in response to current consumer trends, such as ‘The Sustainable Brand of the Year,’ granted to the Commons, ‘The Best Celebrity Merchant of the Year’ for SOURI by Win Metawin, and ‘The Best New Menu of the Year,’ awarded to Shine Muscat Tea by BEARHOUSE.

Additionally, special awards were bestowed upon the ‘Most Influential Food Influencers of the Year,’ including Mawin Thaweephon, Sawitri ‘June’ Rochanapruk, and Bim KinLak.

Worachat Luxkanalode, Country Head of Grab Thailand, stated, “For the third consecutive year, GrabFood has proudly organized the #GrabThumbsUp Awards to recognize the most delightful food merchants nationwide. Chosen from our extensive merchant-partner base, which includes street food vendors, cafes and fine-dining restaurants, these merchants have demonstrated excellence in taste and service. This year’s theme, ‘The Journey of Passion’ highlights our commitment to acknowledging the remarkable and passionate merchants who consistently deliver exceptional culinary experiences to consumers.” 

“Our judging criteria remain stringent, encompassing factors such as food taste, brand reputation, and popularity, as evidenced by sales performance and user reviews with a minimum rating of 4.5 (out of 5) and over 100 positive reviews on the platform. In addition, we have introduced new criteria including evaluating the business concept and efficiency in business operations to underscore merchants’ dedication to upholding and enhancing service quality standards for an improved customer experience,” added Worachat.

The #GrabThumbsUp Awards 2024 was honoured to have esteemed food and lifestyle experts on the judging panel to meticulously identify and select “The Best Merchant of the Year.” The panel comprised M.L. Pason ‘Ink’ Svasti, a renowned Thai food taster, guru, and judges on popular cooking shows such as MasterChef Thailand and IRON Chef Thailand; Thitid ‘Chef Ton’ Tassanakajohn, an illustrious chef and owner of the Michelin-starred restaurant Le Du, featured in Asia's 50 Best Restaurants; Arom ‘Cutto’ Phoharnrattanakul, a well-known YouTuber from the Tigercry channel; and Patsaya Chaorussameekul, editor of THE STANDARD LIFE. In total, 488 merchants across the country received the  #GrabThumbsUp, with 60 outstanding merchants recognized as the Best Merchant of the Year across various categories, including new award categories reflecting current consumer trends. Highlights include;

•    The Sustainable Brand of the Year: This award recognizes a merchant committed to operating an environmentally conscious business and striving for sustainable growth through various campaigns. The honour went to ‘the commons’ a lifestyle community dedicated to giving back to society and the environment.

•    The Best New Menu of the Year: The award goes to ‘BEARHOUSE’ for its 'Shine Muscat Tea,' which gained viral popularity and became the talk of the town on social media, as evidenced by a significant increase in sales volume.

•    The Best Celebrity Merchant of the Year: The award goes to ‘SOURI’, the trendiest dessert destination owned by a heartthrob celebrity Win Metawin. Renowned for its signature Korean-style macarons, the shop has become a viral sensation, offering an array of vibrant colours and delectable fillings.

•    The Operational Excellence of the Year: The award goes to ‘Lucky's Hungry,’ a renowned American fried rice speciality shop, and ‘Khaomooyang Khun Ying,’ in Pattaya. They achieved high sales volume while demonstrating efficiency in their operation and management system, including food order management, food preparation, and quick delivery times to delivery partners, allowing consumers to receive fresh food with minimal waiting time.

•    Special awards were presented to GrabFood’s Most Influential Food Influencer of the Year, including Mawin Thaweephon, the master of food reviewing from @Mawin Finder's channel; Sawitri ‘June’ Rochanapruk, a celebrity emcee who transformed into a food reviewer on her Instagram @Junesawitri; and Prangkaew Buntornrungroj, a YouTuber from the popular food review channel @Bim KinLak.

“We aspire for the #GrabThumbsUp Award to serve as another encouragement platform to support merchant partners who have worked tirelessly over the years. May it ignite inspiration among other merchants on our platform to pursue their passions and provide users with exceptional and delightful experiences. GrabFood will further enhance our service to accommodate evolving consumer behaviour beyond merely being a food delivery platform while continuing to empower our merchant partners to seize business opportunities.

Best Cuisine Categories:

•    Best Yum & Tum Restaurant of the Year: Khoad Yum
•    Best Thai Restaurant of the Year: Kub Kao’ Kub Pla
•    Best Korean Restaurant of the Year: Bangkok Banjom (방콕반점)
•    Best Japanese Restaurant of the Year: Mensho Tokyo
•    Best Pasta and Tapas Restaurant of the Year: Nam Nam Pasta and Tapas
•    Best Steakhouse of the Year: Billy’s Smokehouse
•    Best Specialty Coffee Restaurant of the Year: Roots
•    Best Cafe and Desserts Restaurant of the Year: Holiday Pastry
•    Best Healthy-Vegan Restaurant of the Year: Acai Story
•    Best Brunch Restaurant of the Year: Babyccino
•    Best Chinese Restaurant of the Year: The Chopsticks
•    Best Seafood Restaurant of the Year: Ob Aroi
•    Best Specialty Tea of the Year: Karun Thai Tea
•    Best Sushi Restaurant of the Year: ISAO
•    Best Bread & Sandwiches Restaurant of the Year: BARTELSartels
•    Best Burger Restaurant of the Year: BEAST & BUTTER
•    Best Mala Restaurant of the Year: Chinda Hotpot 金达火锅  (金达火锅)
•    Best Specialty Juice Restaurant of the Year: Luggaw
•    Best Specialty Pizza Restaurant of the Year: Kenny’s
•    Best Noodle Restaurant of the Year: Rung Rueang Pork Noodle (middle shop)

•    Best Local Legend Restaurant of the Year:
o    HereHai
o    Go Benz Rice Porridge Phuket
o    Yum Poo Ma Jed Yod, Chiang Mai, Brand Owner
o    Halongbay
o    Kanom Sen Khun Ya

Special Awards Categories:
•    GrabFood's Rising Star Restaurant: 
o    Shake Shack
o    Unni’s
•    Best Social Media of the Year:
o    Puckchumm by Diamond Grains
o    Doo Dee Noodle Restaurant
•    Celebrity Restaurant of the Year: SOURI
•    Quality Content Creator of the Year: Butterbear
•    Food Collaboration of the Year: Roots x MTCH
•    Outstanding Concept of the Year: Haab Khanom Khai Songkhla
•    Outstanding Management System:
o    Lucky's Hungry
o    Khaomooyang Khun Ying
•    Best optimizing business operation with Grabfood Data:
o    MONTY’s by Roast
o    Mongni Cafe x Baking Studio
•    Sustainable Restaurant of the Year: theCOMMONS

Omni-Commerce Categories:
•    Best Growth Tools Adopter Restaurant of the Year:
o    Lek Yai Traditional Tom Yum Noodles
o    Kame Kafe
•    Best Selling Dine-In Restaurant of the Year: Teppen
•    Best Dine-In Star Restaurant of the Year: Haidilao 
•    Best Selling Self-Pickup Restaurant of the Year: Thai Taste Hub

Best Quality Categories:
•    Most Outstanding Campaign of the Year: The Real Cheese Burger by Burger King
•    Most Popular New Menu Item: “Shine Muscat Tea” from BEARHOUSE

•    Highest Rated Restaurant of the Year (Highest Ratings and Reviews):
o    1:2 Coffee
o    Tiengna Viennoiserie
o    Mont Nomsod
o    Wan Fang
o    Joost smoothies drink healthy
o    Uncle Dave’s Steak
o    E-Cha Korean Craft Dining

GrabFood’s Most Influential Food Influencer of the Year:
•    GrabFood’s Tester of the Year:
o    Mawinfinferrr
o    June Sawitri R.
o    Bim Kinlak
o    Chew chew Phuket
o    Checkin Chiangmai 
o    Review Khon Kaen 
o    Seabear