UAE Food Delivery Growth Outpaces Dine-In Orders in 2026
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Delivery surged while dine-in and total restaurant orders declined across the UAE
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Food delivery kept growing in the UAE during the first half of 2026, as more people chose to order in rather than eat out. Delivery orders went up 15.2% year-on-year, according to new data from restaurant management platform Syrve MENA.
The report said delivery made up 30.5% of all restaurant orders across Syrve's network in this period, up from 25.4% in the first half of 2025. At the same time, total restaurant orders fell by 4%, gross revenue dropped 5.5%, and dine-in orders were down 10.5%. The figures compare the same restaurant venues operating in both years.
For restaurants that offer delivery, the average venue handled 11,642 delivery orders in the first six months of the year, which is around 1,940 orders per month.
Even though the average delivery order value slightly dropped from AED 77.35 to AED 76.97, delivery's share of restaurant revenue increased from 18.6% to 22.5%. Average dine-in spending stayed almost the same, moving from AED 115.21 to AED 115.81, while the overall average order value across all channels fell by 1.5%.
The report also showed a clear change in restaurant demand after Ramadan. In the first seven weeks of 2026, order volumes were 16% to 26% higher than the same period in 2025. By mid-February, volumes had fallen 15% year-on-year, and the decline reached around 30% in April before recovering to close to 2025 levels by late June.
This slowdown affected 61% of restaurants, with premium dining spots and businesses that depend strongly on tourists seeing the biggest drops.
The report expects the UAE online food delivery market to reach USD 10.86 billion in 2026, and grow further to USD 22.19 billion by 2034. This growth is supported by more smartphone use and the rise of super apps. Syrve also expects the Gulf Cooperation Council foodservice market to increase from USD 69.13 billion in 2026 to USD 122.19 billion by 2031.
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