I talk a lot about food during my visits to Bangkok. Food’s a big deal here. So it seems is food delivery. In a city with over 1 million motorcycles, it’s not surprising to see a lot of them with food delivery boxes attached. Foodpanda, Grab, Lineman, and Get are the big food apps here and they seem to be everywhere. This is interesting because most Thais have traditionally eaten out at either food stalls or if they could afford it, restaurants. But the food delivery trend has really caught on here. And crazy motorcycle guys trying to get as many deliveries done in the shortest amount of time seem to be everywhere.
The other day, while taking a walk, I passed by a food shop that was packed with food delivery guys waiting for their packages. There were so many delivery guys that I could hardly get through.
Food delivery is expensive, so I guess the folks receiving these deliveries are pretty affluent. This says something about the economy in Bangkok. If all these people can afford food delivery services, then I guess there is an increase in the general level of income in the city. However, the average pay in Bangkok is still a little over $10/day, so this new cohort of folks who can afford to order must still be very small. But Bangkok has a huge population so I guess the numbers are enough to see these crazy motorcycle food delivery guys everywhere.
By the way, unlike in Canada, where lots of food delivery is done by car, all food delivery in Bangkok is done on motorcycles. Traffic is so bad that if a car was used for delivery, by the time it arrived at the customer’s house or apartment, the food would be cold or it would arrive for the following meal or the driver would need a stove in the vehicle.
As with much of the transportation system in Bangkok, motorcycles prevail, particularly when food is involved..
Well, These guys seem to be waiting in front of a Michelin rated restaurant, so I guess it’s pretty popular. What do they serve?
The Michelin sign is a come on. This shop definitely doesn’t have a Michelin star. It just has a Michelin sign. It serves mostly noodle and rice dishes that are very good. I have had meals there and the quality is good. But this is no Michelin star restaurant – it’s just a Michelin sign restaurant.
Fabulous! But I’m sure we’ve seen a video about a noodle house that has a Michelin Star or mention or maybe just a sign.
There’s one street vendor who has a Michelin star. That’s Jay Fai who has run a very well known street stall for many years. She has the star, not the restaurant in this entry. More about Jay Fai is coming later this week.