Indonesians Rely on Ratings and Promotions when Searching for Food on Online Applications

JAKARTA - The habit of the Indonesian people in finding food is now changing as online delivery services develop.

If in the past, recommendations for places to eat were obtained from friends or social media, now consumers tend to rely on ratings, customer reviews, promotions, and prices that fit in the pocket before deciding to order food through the application.

For many users, the quality factor of food or even delicious taste is no longer enough. There are several other factors that make some customers choose online food to be bought and enjoyed.

"Our consumers usually look for affordable food, there are promos, the choices are diverse and of course the quality and taste are good. Therefore, the rating is also an important consideration because it helps consumers choose merchants that match their expectations," said Country Marketing and Communications Head of Grab Indonesia, Melinda Savitri at the Grab 5 Star Awards press conference in Jakarta, Friday, May 8.

According to him, the five-star rating system in the application is a direct form of curation from customers who have tried the food. This is considered to make it easier for users to find places to eat that are not only delicious, but also relevant in terms of price and quality.

"Sometimes the food is delicious, but if it's too expensive, it's less relevant for some consumers. Therefore, ratings help people find delicious food, fit in their pockets, and meet their needs," he added.

Seeing this habit, digital food delivery service platforms such as GrabFood present a culinary award event based on customer choices which is held for the first time in Indonesia.

This program invites the public to directly choose their favorite food merchants through an online voting system.

This year, hundreds of merchants from various culinary categories are nominated, ranging from street food, casual restaurants, cafes, to legendary and premium dining places. Merchants on the list are the result of curation based on consistency of quality, high ratings, and user reviews on the application.

Melinda explained that the wide range of food options on the application makes consumers need more practical and reliable references.

"The choice of culinary is now very wide. The existence of curation or five-star rating is important so that consumers can more easily find the right food and not fail when trying a new place," he said.

The culinary award event is also expected to help local culinary business actors reach more customers while strengthening the position of Indonesian culinary tourism.

Later, the winner will be determined through a combination of public voting and assessment based on the performance of merchants on the digital platform.

Then this trend also shows that the experience of ordering food online is not only about the speed of service, but also how consumers are increasingly selective in choosing food based on reviews, prices, and other customer experiences.

"Through this, we hope to continue to support the growth of the Indonesian culinary ecosystem while helping local merchants reach more customers. Therefore, we invite the public to contribute directly by voting on our official microsite until May 15, 2026," concluded Melinda Savitri.