How a Singaporean delivery giant navigated rapid global expansion and volatile public perception

Countries & Cities · Published 15 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Founded in 2012, Foodpanda transformed from a regional startup into a major player in Asian food delivery. Owned by Delivery Hero, the platform has faced immense growth, management shifts, and significant public backlash, illustrating the complex challenges of scaling a digital marketplace across diverse international markets and cultures.

Established in Singapore by Lukas Nagel and Rico Wyder, Foodpanda initially expanded rapidly across multiple continents, including Southeast Asia, the Balkans, and parts of Eastern Europe. By 2021, the company positioned itself as the leading food and grocery delivery service in Asia, excluding China. Its business model relies on connecting customers with local restaurants through mobile applications and websites, while managing a network of riders to facilitate deliveries. The company has frequently utilized acquisitions to enter new regions, such as purchasing Eat Oye in Pakistan in 2014 and integrating various local brands into its ecosystem.

Despite its reach, the company has encountered significant operational and reputational hurdles. In India, for instance, the brand struggled with allegations of malpractice and declining order volumes before its delivery business was suspended in 2019. Elsewhere, the platform has faced intense public scrutiny. In Thailand, the company experienced a massive user boycott in 2021 following a controversial social media statement regarding a driver, which led to reports of millions of account deletions overnight. Similar tensions have emerged in other markets, with vendors in Malaysia protesting commission structures and riders in the Philippines and Hong Kong raising concerns over wage policies and management promises.

The company has also experimented with new initiatives to diversify its revenue, such as the Home Chefs program, which supports thousands of independent cooks. While it continues to evolve—recently introducing a mascot named Pau-Pau to promote empowerment—the platform remains subject to the volatility of local regulations and consumer sentiment. From antitrust interventions in Taiwan to fraud investigations in Bangladesh, Foodpanda’s history reflects the precarious nature of the gig economy, where success is often balanced against the demands of regulators, workers, and the public.

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