Grab food delivery - what to do?

[SizzzzStudent]

Hi, I very recently made this account to ask about getting food delivery, sorry if this is the wrong forum!
I just wanted to know if (when ordering food from the Grab app) what to do after making an order? Like, do I just pick up my stuff when the driver has arrived and give them a tip? I don't speak too much Thai yet (but am learning whilst living/studying here, I know how to say thank you and all the basics), would that be a problem, or it is easy to interact with delivery drivers?
I have no problems with using the Grab app at all, I would just like to know what happens after placing a food delivery order.

Some extra info as well:
There's lots of Thai food shops around me and I do go out and get food from these shops most of the time (I won't starve if I don't get delivery food haha), I'm just craving western food and there's nowhere in walking distance (if there was I'd walk instead of getting delivery!), which why I'm asking about delivery food.
I don't have a driver's license or car/motorbike so no, I can't go out and pick up food by myself - again, if I had a license and a vehicle, I'd go myself!
I don't live in an apartment, so no having to come down to any lobbies etc. I can see my front gate from where I study.
I wouldn't order stuff if it was raining because I know a lot of bike drivers wont drive in bad weather (plus I'd feel bad ordering food in rainy weather if I know I have food at home).

Sorry if I seem paranoid, I just have a bit of anxiety when doing new things by myself in a new and different country to where I used to live, but I'm starting to miss home and western food sometimes, so any serious advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Mark1066]

You don't really have to say anything most of the time. Just give them the money (with a tip if you like) and say thank you.

 

After the order is placed, you can check the status in the Grab app. First a driver will accept the order (hopefully!), then the status should change to 'In the kitchen' and then out for delivery (can't remember the exact message). You can then follow the driver's/rider's progress on the map and go outside to meet them when they are nearly there. They will hold the package in front of them and take a photo before handing it to you. At least that's what they do whenever I use Grab.

 

(You can also add a local debit /credit card to the app and pay when you book if you don't keep cash at home but you'd still need to tip them separately if you do that I guess.)

 

The only problem you might have is if they can't find your house and call you up for directions.

Edited October 27, 2022 by Mark1066

[Ohyesuare]

12 minutes ago, Mark1066 said:

The only problem you might have is if they can't find your house and call you up for directions.

Yes some drivers can be bad with GPT directions or just like to call anyway so they won't have to wait long. I'd recommend the OP learn how to say his address in Thai and if one does call, just keep repeating the address if they don't know any English.

[SizzzzStudent]

8 minutes ago, Ohyesuare said:

Yes some drivers can be bad with GPT directions or just like to call anyway so they won't have to wait long. I'd recommend the OP learn how to say his address in Thai and if one does call, just keep repeating the address if they don't know any English.

I do know how to say my address in Thai and how to say "near this landmark" so I think I'd be ok if I get asked for directions. 

Thank you to both for your answers! I feel a bit more confident to order stuff now ????

[Mark1066]

Just now, SizzzzStudent said:

I do know how to say my address in Thai and how to say "near this landmark" so I think I'd be ok if I get asked for directions. 

Thank you to both for your answers! I feel a bit more confident to order stuff now ????

If you have Line and they can't find you on the Grab map for some reason, you could offer to share your location with them on that app instead.

[lopburi3]

Do not use for cooked food but for Tops delivery and their map is never correct so always get a call and have to direct from main Soi to Yaak (only a few meters).  Have tried every version of address and never gets to Yaak call it Yaak or Soi.  Delivery services are paid by merchant so tips are not required or normal.  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

44 minutes ago, Mark1066 said:

(You can also add a local debit /credit card to the app and pay when you book if you don't keep cash at home but you'd still need to tip them separately if you do that I guess.)

 

Good summary of the process!  I use the Grab app all the time to pay for restaurant food deliveries to home, as well as grocery shopping deliveries from supermarkets. It's very easy and works very well.

 

Regarding payments and tipping, at least in using the Android mobile app for Grab, if you've set up a bank card as your payment method, the app allows you to add a tip within the app that gets charged separately, only after your order is successfully delivered. So in that scenario, you don't have to have any actual cash or pay the driver anything at all.

 

Also, as far as directions to your location are concerned, again within the Android app, the driver can send messages to you, and you can send messages to the driver from within the app. And it has a language translation feature built-in... So the driver presumably would send you a message in TH language. And right underneath that message, you tap a "translate" button and the app automatically translated the driver's message into your language within the app. Easy peasy...  And so you can write a message to the driver in English, and they'll end up seeing it translated into Thai.

 

PS - also, I know from personal experience, the Grab app also supports the use of international VISA and MCs as a saved payment method -- just so long as your intl card is unlocked and not blocked for foreign (TH) use.

 

You don't have to use a TH bank card, if either you don't have one, or you'd prefer to use your home country VISA or MC card instead, both debit and credit.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Liverpool Lou]

20 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Delivery services are paid by merchant so tips are not required or normal.  

Your comment gives the impression that tips aren't expected/appreciated/normal for food deliveries, that isn't the case.  The merchant doesn't provide their tips.

Edited October 27, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[lopburi3]

1 minute ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Good grief, you don't give Grab food delivery drivers a tip?   The merchant doesn't provide their tips.

I do not use Grab food delivery - I use Tops Supermarket delivery who contract with Grab.  And no we do not tip delivery drivers.  Nor do anyone else we know.  

[Liverpool Lou]

Just now, lopburi3 said:

3 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Good grief, you don't give Grab food delivery drivers a tip?   The merchant doesn't provide their tips.

I do not use Grab food delivery - I use Tops Supermarket delivery who contract with Grab.  And no we do not tip delivery drivers.  Nor do anyone else we know.  

The OP is asking about normal procedures for Grab food deliveries and a tip for the food delivery driver is normal, most people do it.

[lopburi3]

14 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

The OP is asking about normal procedures for Grab food deliveries and a tip for the food delivery driver is normal, most people do it.

Totally disagree.  Unless your most people is foreigners.

[JJ Madcow]

The shop from time to time call and ask if we want something else, If run out of XXX item.
Some times the driver call for directions.
Many times the driver cant even speak Thai ????

 

We only tip when it is bad weather.

Kindly.

[Mark1066]

15 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Totally disagree.  Unless your most people is foreigners.

Having once spent a short time as a pizza delivery boy in the UK, I found it was not possible to make a living wage without customers' tips. Because of that, I tip food delivery drivers here. So do some Thai people I know.

[lopburi3]

4 minutes ago, Mark1066 said:

Having once spent a short time as a pizza delivery boy in the UK, I found it was not possible to make a living wage without customers' tips. Because of that, I tip food delivery drivers here. So do some Thai people I know.

I suspect some do - but do not believe it is the majority.  UK/USA and Europe indeed have tip as basic to a living wage - but that is not the case here (although restaurants have learned to add in many areas - but not always gets to workers even then).  Can understand for exceptional service, like MC delivery in the rain and rounding up few baht for taxi as know meters rates have not kept up with time.  But in most cases better not to tip unless OK'd  by Thai.

[KhunLA]

I'm going with the 'they don't expect a tip' crowd, though I will tip.  Usually just rounding up to what ever bank notes I have / paying with.  Or if no tip, at least 'EXACT change' to help with the non tipping CCs.  

 

I also try to pay with the smallest notes & coins (1/5/10) that I have, so they have change ... again for the CCs.  I can always break a 1000 baht at 7-11 when buying that 1 beer ????

 

So that tip may be all of 1 baht to 4 to 9 to 19 baht.  Depends on ttl bill, obviously not 19 baht on 81 baht order.   

 

The wife would have my head, and not that one.

[SizzzzStudent]

Thanks for everyone’s advice. I think tipping is a matter of personal preference, so I don’t really care if people tip or not - I’m half Thai, so I can understand both sides, and I'm not gonna argue for either way.

 

In other news, I’ve mustered the courage to order some food, so hopefully in around 40 mins I’ll be chowing down on some spaghetti! ???? 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Another tip..... especially if your location has any difficulties in finding its location...

 

You can write out brief location finding instructions in English, use the Google Translate website or app to translate them into Thai, and then add them as a stored note in your Home Address delivery information kept in the Grab app.

 

That will make it easier for the driver to find you and avoid the potential Thai language phone call...  But if they do happen to call and you don't speak any Thai, you can always ask them to send message to you in Grab app instead.......

 

 

Edited October 27, 2022 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[SizzzzStudent]

19 minutes ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

Another tip..... especially if your location has any difficulties in finding its location...

 

You can write out brief location finding instructions in English, use the Google Translate website or app to translate them into Thai, and then add them as a stored note in your Home Address delivery information kept in the Grab app.

 

That will make it easier for the driver to find you and avoid the potential Thai language phone call...  But if they do happen to call and you don't speak any Thai, you can always ask them to send message to you in Grab app instead.......

 

 

Great advice! I was lucky this time and only had to confirm my house number with the driver via text - I put a note in the delivery directions that I can't speak Thai well so he messaged me in English, so I think that is another option for non-Thai speakers (might not work every time though).

All in all, pretty easy after getting past the initial ordering anxiety! And I can finally enjoy some spaghetti without having to take a taxi ride to the nearest western-food restaurant ????  

Edited October 27, 2022 by SizzzzStudent

[Mark1066]

2 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

I suspect some do - but do not believe it is the majority.  UK/USA and Europe indeed have tip as basic to a living wage - but that is not the case here (although restaurants have learned to add in many areas - but not always gets to workers even then).  Can understand for exceptional service, like MC delivery in the rain and rounding up few baht for taxi as know meters rates have not kept up with time.  But in most cases better not to tip unless OK'd  by Thai.

Ok'd by a Thai? Sorry, I'm honestly not trying to be combative but that's not something I'd worry about at all. I just feel bad paying someone 60 baht to ride for 30-45 minutes in the evening (and probably another half an hour empty on the way back) so I tip them an extra 20 baht. I'm aware it's probably futile because the premise (of helping people make a decent living wage by tipping) only works if everyone else does it too but it's a personal decision and I feel better doing what makes me comfortable, not what Thai people think I should do.

[Liverpool Lou]

4 hours ago, lopburi3 said:

4 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

The OP is asking about normal procedures for Grab food deliveries and a tip for the food delivery driver is normal, most people do it.

Totally disagree.  Unless your most people is foreigners.

Totally disagree.  

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

I don't presume to know what's "normal" or not normal among various folks here...

 

But I know that in my case, using the Grab app for restaurant food deliveries to home in BKK, I'll typically add a 20 or 30 baht tip within the app, depending on how long the rider's delivery trip is.

 

It's a small price to pay for the convenience of having food delivered to my door without me having to go out. And, with Grab, they're often offering various available coupons to reduce your order cost by anywhere from 40b to 100b, if you pay attention. So those end up more than offsetting the small added expense of the tip.

 

Plus, in the broader scheme of things, I don't think Grab delivery drivers are getting rich off whatever they earn from their delivery compensation alone.

 

[DFPhuket]

I have found Food Panda to be a lot easier to use and prefer it for food delivery. All of the information on it is in English, while lots of information on Grab is in Thai. 

 

I have my credit card in my Food Panda account and automatically pay when ordering. Then I follow the progress on the app and walk out to meet the driver when it shows he is a minute or two away. 

[swm59nj]

The delivery people are doing it to make money,  not friends.  Don’t be so concerned you can’t speak Thai to them.  It’s not a social visit. They want to drop off their deliveries as quickly as possible. They don’t care if you engage them in conversation or not.  You are not obligated to tip anyone.  But I always give the food delivery a small tip.  And they appreciate it. 
I have said thank you to them either in Thai or English.  When I give them the tip they always thank me first. 

[scorecard]

On 10/27/2022 at 2:04 PM, Liverpool Lou said:

Your comment gives the impression that tips aren't expected/appreciated/normal for food deliveries, that isn't the case.  The merchant doesn't provide their tips.

In fact the merchant will keep as much as they can, driver will get the minimum the merchant can get way with.

 

Drivers just survive, many customers give this zero thought, I always give a good tip and it's appreciated, share the wealth. 

 

[blacksuitdandruff]

On 10/27/2022 at 3:50 AM, Mark1066 said:

Ok'd by a Thai? Sorry, I'm honestly not trying to be combative but that's not something I'd worry about at all. I just feel bad paying someone 60 baht to ride for 30-45 minutes in the evening (and probably another half an hour empty on the way back) so I tip them an extra 20 baht. I'm aware it's probably futile because the premise (of helping people make a decent living wage by tipping) only works if everyone else does it too but it's a personal decision and I feel better doing what makes me comfortable, not what Thai people think I should do.

If you are secure in your thought and practice of tipping, no need to defend it.

 

Nor do you need to push it onto others or accept others doing the same to you.

 

????

[steven100]

SizzzzStudent,  you'll be fine,  just order your food,  wait for the delivery guy to arrive,  he will call you or maybe you'll meet him at the gate before he calls,  give him a small tip 10% if you like and that's it.

 

Say ..  thank you Mr grab .....     job's done   

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

11 hours ago, DFPhuket said:

I have found Food Panda to be a lot easier to use and prefer it for food delivery. All of the information on it is in English, while lots of information on Grab is in Thai. 

 

I have my credit card in my Food Panda account and automatically pay when ordering. Then I follow the progress on the app and walk out to meet the driver when it shows he is a minute or two away. 

 

You can do all the same things you mention above re FP in your 2nd pgh just the same in the Grab Android app...

 

But you're right about the other difference.... some restaurant info in the Grab app, especially for Thai food focused on the local market, is ONLY in Thai with no English translations, and the app itself doesn't allow text copy and paste into Google Translate...

 

Although, most of the farang oriented restaurants on Grab do have their online menus in English and/or have bilingual listings.

 

[SizzzzStudent]

7 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

But you're right about the other difference.... some restaurant info in the Grab app, especially for Thai food focused on the local market, is ONLY in Thai with no English translations, and the app itself doesn't allow text copy and paste into Google Translate...

 

I think if you can screenshot the menus that are in Thai on the app, you can use the google translate app to 'scan' the photo and translate - I've used that function before, for reading some signs/menus outside - just snap a photo (or screenshot if on a website/app) and load it into the translate app.

 

The translation is not always accurate though, and you do get some funny translations sometimes, but it works well enough. Also not sure if you need the most up-to-date version of the app/a newer phone model, but worth trying.

[Speedhump]

On 10/27/2022 at 2:07 PM, lopburi3 said:

I do not use Grab food delivery - I use Tops Supermarket delivery who contract with Grab.  And no we do not tip delivery drivers.  Nor do anyone else we know.  

You are one of the founder member of The Mean Society? 

[Speedhump]

On 10/27/2022 at 4:07 PM, SizzzzStudent said:

Great advice! I was lucky this time and only had to confirm my house number with the driver via text - I put a note in the delivery directions that I can't speak Thai well so he messaged me in English, so I think that is another option for non-Thai speakers (might not work every time though).

All in all, pretty easy after getting past the initial ordering anxiety! And I can finally enjoy some spaghetti without having to take a taxi ride to the nearest western-food restaurant ????  

One thing I dont think others commented on. Delivery people still need to make money in the rain, don't let rain stop you ordering. Bike riders in Thailand must take riding in heavy rain as part of daily life in the wet season. If they decide to work on a wet day, please support them.