foodpanda marked a strong first half of 2026 and looked ahead to new opportunities with its merchant partners

Mindanawon restaurants harness technology, data, and digital tools to expand their reach and grow their businesses.

Davao City, Philippines — Digital commerce is opening new doors for local restaurants across Mindanao, helping homegrown businesses reach more customers, generate new revenue streams, and grow beyond their physical storefronts.

Kathleen Huang of Unilever Food Solutions explored what innovation means to today’s diners and food businesses

This growing digital momentum took center stage at foodpanda’s CRAVE Partner Summit & Awards 2026 in Davao, where standout merchant partners from Davao and other parts of Mindanao were recognized for their business performance, innovation, and commitment to delivering great customer experiences.

Tuna Republik President Shiella Aranas shared the brand’s scaling journey and the role of foodpanda in its expansion.

Expanding Reach Beyond the Storefront

For many local restaurants, being on foodpanda is more than simply offering delivery. The platform provides merchants with digital tools designed to help them increase visibility, understand customer demand, and build stronger relationships with their customers.

Leopoldo De Castro Jr., Finance Director at foodpanda Philippines, opened CRAVE 2026 by underscoring the company’s commitment to merchant collaboration and business development.

“Through foodpanda, merchants can benefit from platform-wide demand generation initiatives, including fully funded promotional campaigns, customer acquisition and retention vouchers, and free-delivery offers,” said Leopoldo De Castro, Jr., Director of Finance, foodpanda.

Merchants can also tap marketing solutions such as sponsored listings, CPC campaigns, deals, and Pro campaigns, while creating their own promotions through combo meals, flash sales, and seasonal offers.

Access to customer and order insights also allows merchants to better understand purchasing patterns and make more informed decisions when it comes to their menus and promotions.

Alyssa Martinez, Visayas & Mindanao Regional Account Manager at foodpanda Philippines, shared key H1 performance highlights and trends shaping opportunities for merchant partners

On the customer side, tools such as AI Smart Search, personalized recommendations, in-app ratings, and AI-powered review highlights make it easier for diners to discover restaurants and make informed choices.

Celebrating Merchant Excellence

The success of these digital strategies was reflected in the businesses recognized at CRAVE 2026. Merchant partners were honored across several categories.

Pau-Pau’s Top of Table

Celebrating vendors that excelled in sales performance and demonstrated market leadership.

• Tuna Republik

• JM Shawarma

• Villa Tuna Restaurant

• Family Fried Chicken

• Bagong Lipunan

Pau-Pau’s Momentum Master

Recognizing vendors with strong year-over-year performance during the first half of 2026.

• Manolo Halo-Halo

• Bread & Brew Cafe

• Nikko’s Brew

• Pater Al-Kuwait – Aguinaldo Street

• Backyard BBQ

Pau-Pau’s Brand Spotlight

Honoring vendors that elevated their brands through innovative marketing, consistent performance, and strong partnerships with foodpanda.

• Haveli King

• Bar ko sa Lagao

• Bigby’s

• Pansititoy

• Conlu Bread and Pastry Shop

Operational Excellence

Highlighting vendors that upheld high operational standards and delivered seamless, reliable service.

• Aling Paz Food Haus

• Mang Paeng’s Inasal

• Chicken Hauz

• Kudus Tapsihan

• Butcher’s Best Barbeque

People’s Palate Award

Celebrating crowd favorites with consistent repeat orders and strong customer ratings.

• Bigby’s

• Yamashita Diner

• New Davao Famous

• We Got Cha

• Mandarin Tea Garden

“Our merchant partners know their businesses and customers best, and our role is to give them the tools, insights, and opportunities to help them grow. When used strategically, digital solutions can help businesses expand their customer base, respond to demand, and build stronger customer relationships,” said De Castro.

“CRAVE celebrates the businesses putting these opportunities into action and the partnerships we continue to build with them.”

Growing the Digital Commerce Ecosystem

foodpanda’s digital ecosystem extends beyond restaurant delivery. Through pandamart and foodpanda Shops, the platform continues to expand its quick-commerce services, giving consumers convenient access to groceries and everyday essentials while creating new opportunities for local retailers.

DTI XI Regional Director Romeo Castañaga discussed how food MSMEs can leverage digitalization for sustainable business.

As merchant partners grow through digital platforms, the impact goes beyond individual businesses. Their success also contributes to the livelihood of riders and staff, supports local suppliers and producers, and helps strengthen regional economies across Mindanao.

The Davao leg marks the beginning of the CRAVE 2026 nationwide series, which will continue to Cebu before culminating in Manila.

More than an awards program, CRAVE highlights the growing role of digital technology in helping Philippine businesses adapt, connect with customers, and unlock new opportunities for growth.

A typical day for a mompreneur involves balancing family responsibilities, customer orders, and business growth. In the Philippines, where typhoons, floods, and other calamities can disrupt daily life without warning, business as usual can change in an instant.

For home-based entrepreneurs, these are more than natural events. They can damage supplies, delay deliveries, cut off communication with customers, and disrupt an important source of household income.

Building a disaster-resilient business does not require a complicated corporate plan. It starts with understanding the risks of operating from home and preparing simple ways to protect essential resources, continue essential operations, and recover more quickly when disruptions occur.

Here are some of the most common challenges mompreneurs may face during a crisis, along with practical steps they can take:

1. The inventory trap: Spoiled or damaged supplies

Power outages can spoil ingredients, while flooding can damage raw materials, packaging, and finished products.

What to do: Keep supplies on raised shelves or in waterproof containers, and have frozen ice packs ready to help protect perishables during short outages.

2. The logistics halt: Delayed deliveries and lost connectivity

Severe weather can suspend courier services and make it difficult to update customers when connectivity is unstable.

What to do: Inform customers about possible delays before conditions worsen and save ready-to-send advisory messages on your phone. Keep alternative courier contacts, but never arrange deliveries when conditions are unsafe.

3. The digital freeze: Lost records and delayed payments

A damaged device or an unavailable digital payment platform can prevent you from accessing orders, supplier contacts, and funds for urgent expenses.

What to do: Regularly back up essential business files to a secure cloud service and keep an offline list of urgent orders and supplier contacts. Set aside a small emergency business fund for times when digital payments are unavailable.

Connectivity as part of business readiness

For a home-based business, reliable connectivity helps mompreneurs receive weather updates, communicate with customers and suppliers, manage digital payments, and respond quickly to disruptions.

PLDT Home supports this readiness by strengthening its network, sending proactive service advisories, and deploying PLDT At Your Service teams to affected communities as needed. Through free Wi-Fi, calls, charging stations, and customer assistance, these efforts can help mompreneurs stay informed, reconnect with customers, and resume operations sooner after a calamity.

The value of community as a support network

Preparing for emergencies shouldn’t feel like a solo effort. For home-based creators, business resilience goes hand in hand with community support. Connecting with fellow mompreneurs offers practical insights, emotional support, and real-world lessons that you won’t find on a standard checklist. 

PLDT Home’s Madiskarte Moms, an online community tailored for mompreneurs, gives women a dedicated space to exchange ideas, share logistics updates during bad weather, and support one another through both everyday hurdles and sudden disasters. Hearing how another home-based mom managed a multi-day power outage or handled delivery complaints provides a practical blueprint for your own business. 

While natural disasters cannot be prevented, their impact on your hard-earned business can be significantly reduced. By combining realistic contingency plans, simple digital habits, and the backing of a like-minded community like MMPH, mompreneurs can build more resilient businesses that adapt, recover, and continue to thrive, no matter what challenges come their way. 

Join PLDT Home’s Madiskarte Moms PH group to meet and interact with a wide network of inspiring mompreneurs.

For nearly three decades, Gaisano Market (GMarket) has been part of everyday life for many Dabawenyos. Now, the homegrown supermarket is expanding beyond its physical stores as it joins foodpanda Shops, giving customers another way to shop for groceries and household essentials.

The launch marks GMarket's first entry into app-based grocery delivery, combining the retailer's long-standing presence in Davao with foodpanda's technology and delivery network. As online grocery shopping becomes part of more Filipinos' everyday routines, the collaboration offers Davaoeños another convenient way to shop.

"Davao is a thriving hub for digital adoption, and bringing a trusted household name like GMarket onto foodpanda Shops is a game-changer for local shoppers,” said Joseph Wijesekera, Director of Q-Commerce at foodpanda Philippines. “We aren't just delivering groceries—we're making everyday living simpler and more affordable by connecting Davaoeños to the local brands they’ve relied on for generations."

Echoing this commitment to serving local families, Patricia Gaisano, GMarket Business Unit Head  at GMarket, added, "For us, joining foodpanda is about meeting our customers wherever they are. Many of the families who have shopped with GMarket for years are now looking for more flexible ways to buy their groceries, and foodpanda allows us to serve them with the same reliability they know and love."

To commemorate the launch, GMarket fulfilled its ceremonial first order, which was randomly assigned to Ka-panda rider Johannah Ranera. Expecting a routine pickup, Ranera was surprised to learn that the groceries were actually a gift from foodpanda and GMarket—a gesture of appreciation for the riders who help bring everyday essentials to customers across Davao.

The addition of GMarket continues foodpanda's efforts to grow its grocery marketplace by bringing more established local retailers onto the platform.

Customers across Davao can now browse and order GMarket's groceries and household essentials through foodpanda Shops, with launch promotions available on the app.