If there’s something Singaporeans love more than food, it’s convenience. since we never have the time to do anything besides fiddle with our smartphones. But for the longest time, food delivery services in Singapore were only limited to fast food. We longed for the convenience of ordering anything we wanted and getting it delivered.
That’s probably why food delivery services, with FoodPanda leading the pack, are so popular right now. Singaporeans can enjoy food and convenience at the same time, all while fiddling with their smartphones. We compare the 4 key players on the food delivery market: FoodPanda, Deliveroo, GrabFood and Oddle Eats.
Contents
1. Food Delivery Fee & Charges
| Food Delivery | Delivery Fees |
| GrabFood | $3 upwards (distance-based fare) |
| Foodpanda | $1.49 upwards (distance-based fare) |
| Deliveroo | $3 to $8 |
| Oddle Eats | From $5 to $10 |
Delivery charges for Foodpanda is the lowest with fees starting from $1.49. Like its competitor GrabFood, Foodpanda’s delivery fees are based on distance – the further your restaurant of choice, the higher the delivery fees you can expect to pay.
Otherwise, Deliveroo and Oddle Eats have higher starting delivery fees, with
FoodPanda: Varies according to the restaurant. Some will deliver for free (usually those close to you), while others charge a fee.
Deliveroo: $3 for orders of at least $25, $8 for orders under $25.
GrabFood: Free for a limited time only, after which the delivery charge is purported to be from $3 onwards.
Oddle Eats: Varies from merchant to merchant. Most merchants require you to pay delivery fees from $5 upwards to $20. Take note of the minimum order—some establishments require a minimum spending of up to $100.
2. Food Selection & Restaurants
| Food Delivery | Food & Restaurants Available |
| GrabFood | Hawker, Fast Food, Cafes, Restaurants, Michelin Starred Restaurants |
| Foodpanda | Hawker, Fast Food, Cafes, Restaurants |
| Deliveroo | Hawker, Fast Food, Cafes, Restaurants |
| Oddle Eats | Restaurants, Hotel Restaurants |
FoodPanda: A wide range of mid-range and budget options including fast food chains like Burger King, Subway, Toastbox and Yoshinoya. Neighbourhood restaurants run by aunties and uncles are also featured. There are some decent mid-range options like Spruce, Nara Thai and Marché Mövenpick. This app offers the widest selection of restaurants for those of us living in the ‘burbs.
Deliveroo: FoodPanda’s biggest competitor differentiates itself by offering a curation of upper-mid range restaurants and cafes like Potato Head Folk, PS. Cafe, Meat Liquor and The Butcher’s Club. Still, there are some cheaper or chain options available, including PastaMania, ThaiExpress, Jollibean and Crystal Jade Kitchen.
GrabFood: GrabFood is the most comprehensive food delivery app at the moment, covering hawker food, fast food, hype cafes, shopping mall restaurants, and atas restaurants as well.
Oddle Eats: Mid-range to higher-end eateries with some local restaurants thrown in. Examples include Dancing Crab, Crystal Jade, St. Regis, Four Seasons Hotel, and more.
3. Food Delivery Zones
| Food Delivery | Delivery Coverage Zones |
| GrabFood | Jurong West, Jurong East, Northwest, Southwest, North, Bukit Merah, Sentosa, Downtown, Southeast, Upper Central, Lower Central, Sengkang Seletar, Punggol, Bedok, Tampines, East |
| Foodpanda | Jurong West, Jurong East, Bukit Panjang, Bukit Timah, Woodlands, SG South, Yishun, Ang Mo Kio, Geylang, Serangoon, Sengkang, Bedok, Far East |
| Deliveroo | Ang Mo Kio / Bishan, Bukit Panjang / CCK, Bedok, Bugis, Bukit Batok / Jurong East, Bukit Merah, Harbourfront / Sentosa, Bukit Timah / Queenstown, Chinatown-Clarke Quay, Hougang, Jurong West, Katong / Geylang, Novena / Toa Payoh, Orchard-Tanglin, Pasir Ris, Changi / Simei, Sengkang / Punggol, Tampines, Woodlands, Yishun |
| Oddle Eats | Varies from restaurant to restaurant |
Most food delivery platforms in Singapore categorise restaurants into “delivery zones” based on their location. This helps food delivery riders to calculate their earnings, the number of trips they’ve clocked, and safeguard the distance they should go.
FoodPanda: Serves all areas, and you can order from restaurants as far as 5 or 6 km away.
Deliveroo: Serves all areas, and the restaurants you can order from seem to sit within a maximum radius of about 2 km.
GrabFood: Serves all areas in Singapore. However, delivery area is selected by restaurants. Some restaurants may offer island-wide delivery.
Oddle Eats: Serves all areas. Delivery zones determined by individual restaurants with minimum order.
4. Food Delivery Waiting Time
| Food Delivery | Average Delivery Waiting Time |
| GrabFood | 32 minutes, up to 2 hours |
| Foodpanda | 30 minutes, up to 6 hours |
| Deliveroo | 32 minutes |
| Oddle Eats | Select your desired delivery time |
FoodPanda: Depends on the restaurant. 30 minutes on average, but some restaurants can take over an hour. You can check out the guy who waited for 6 hours for his Foodpanda order (September 2022). Before you make your Foodpanda order, always first check the estimate waiting time.
Deliveroo: Average of 32 minutes.
GrabFood: GrabFood has had its fair share of negative reviews about long waiting times over the years, with some customer complaints making the news (some clocked 2 hour waits). Well, it’s a combination of both the restaurant’s slow preparation, Grab delivery app piling multiple orders on their riders, and the riders’ navigation and driving skills.
Oddle Eats: Varies according to the restaurant. You get to select your desired delivery time. If your order is late by 15 minutes, Oddle Eats recommends customers to call the individual restaurants directly to check on the order.
5. Food Delivery Promotions
As a food-savvy Singaporean, you know you have to try all the possible promo codes before you press “Place order”.
Here are all the food delivery promo codes for you to spam and try this month:
| Food Delivery | Food Delivery Promo Code |
| GrabFood | SELFPICK15 (15% off self pick up), TEATIME (free delivery 3-5pm, min. Spend $15), HSBCFOOD2022, CITI6, CITI10, MCGRAB |
| Foodpanda | NEWPU ($3 off, min. spend $12) |
| Deliveroo | CITI8OFFOCT, CITINEW2022, UOBNEW22, UOBGROOCT, HSBCOCT22, HSBCNEW22, OCBCNEW22 |
| Oddle Eats | – |
Tip: Pay by credit card and earn cashback and rewards. Some credit cards are more suitable for online orders, since they give you higher cashback rebates and rewards. Consider paying with a dining credit card too.
Have you tried any of these food delivery services? Share your reviews in the comments!
Image Credit: Djaka FarezkI