UAE food deliveries to pick up speed as mobile orders spike

Dubai: Dubai’s food delivery market is entering a new phase of accelerated expansion, with mobile ordering now dominating transactions and industry data pointing to sustained growth across platforms, restaurants and supporting technology providers.

The UAE’s online food delivery market was valued at about $2.5 billion in 2024 and is projected to reach $3.9 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual rate of 7% to 10%, according to data cited by Syrve MENA. Across the wider MENA region, food delivery is forecast to reach $35.6 billion by 2030.

Mobile devices have become the primary ordering channel. Syrve said mobile now accounts for about 70% of delivery transactions across MENA, reflecting a 30% year-on-year surge in mobile-first dining.

The shift is especially pronounced in the UAE, where high smartphone penetration, dense urban populations and convenience-led consumption continue to pull restaurant demand into app-based ecosystems.

Dubai hosts more than 13,000 restaurants and cafés, representing about 60% of all food outlets nationwide. Syrve’s internal data estimates that around three quarters of all delivery orders are now channelled through aggregator apps.

Platforms including Talabat, HungerStation and Deliveroo dominate that flow, while the remaining orders are handled through restaurant-owned ordering systems.

The surge is forcing operators to reconfigure business models. Restaurants are investing more heavily in integrated point-of-sale platforms, loyalty applications, call-centre systems and digital storefronts to manage rising order volumes.

Self-service kiosks, once limited to global quick-service chains, are increasingly being deployed by smaller venues.

“Mobile-based delivery will remain central to foodservice strategy as operators look to grow order volumes at more than 10% year-on-year while maintaining margins in a highly competitive ecosystem,” said Alexander Ponomarev, chief executive of Syrve MENA.

Syrve’s data shows the operational shift is accelerating. Restaurants are increasing adoption of smart POS platforms, loyalty apps and self-service kiosks to boost throughput and reduce manual processing. Syrve said automated upselling and digital menu design are lifting average check sizes by as much as 15% to 30%.

Delivery platforms are already processing volumes that underline the market’s scale. Talabat said users ordered more than 47 million burgers across the UAE in 2025, while mini cheese pizza ranked as the most-ordered food item, with more than 1.3 million orders.

Careem reported delivering more than 1.6 million burgers last year, averaging about 4,400 a day. Noon said its rapid-delivery services processed tens of thousands of impulse and non-food orders through noon Minutes and supermall, highlighting how food delivery apps are converging with quick-commerce and everyday retail.

Syrve said restaurants are expanding the use of artificial intelligence across inventory forecasting, automated procurement and dynamic pricing as delivery volumes rise and margins tighten.

Independent venues still account for about 62% of the full-service restaurant market. Chain operators are projected to grow at a 19.22% compound annual rate through 2030, driven by operational scale and delivery-first expansion strategies.

Seasonal dynamics remain a structural feature of the market. Syrve said Ramadan consistently delivers the year’s largest operational surge, with 41% of UAE residents increasing food spending.

During summer, extreme heat shifts more consumption to online ordering and later hours, reinforcing delivery platforms as the default dining channel.

“Looking ahead to 2026, I expect deeper social-media integration, broader rollout of AI-driven tools, and continued pressure on operators to demonstrate nutritional transparency and environmental responsibility,” Ponomarev said.