Food delivery is now part of everyday life in the UAE. Our UserQ survey of 500 residents found that six in ten people order food at least once a week.
Talabat and Noon Food are the clear favorites. The reason is simple: speed. Fast delivery is the top factor that wins customer loyalty in such a competitive market.
Subscriptions are also popular, but not everyone is convinced. Many hold back because they are not sure the value is worth the cost. Even for regular users, the experience is not perfect.
Delivery reliability and promotions are the two biggest pain points. If food delivery companies want to keep customers coming back, these are the areas that matter most.
Key highlights:
- Usage: 61.4% order at least weekly, with 9.4% ordering daily.
- Top preferred applications for food delivery: Talabat (35.0%), Noon Food (31.6%), Careem Food (11.8%), Deliveroo (8.6%), Smiles (8.4%).
- Driver of choice: Speed is the top decision factor.
- Subscriptions: 50.2% currently pay for one, however non-subscribers mention they don’t use it as frequently and don’t see it being truly valuable.
- Pain points: Late delivery (53.6%) and cold food (40.8%) are the most common issues.
Who we spoke to
We surveyed 500 UAE residents in August 2025. The majority live in Dubai (69%), followed by Abu Dhabi (17%) and Sharjah (9%). Just over half (54%) were men, and most respondents were between 25 and 44 years old. The sample is highly educated, with most holding a bachelor’s degree or higher.
How often do people order?
The chart shows how frequently UAE residents order food delivery. Over half (52%) order a few times a week, while nearly one in ten (9.4%) order daily. At the other end of the spectrum, only 1.4% say they rarely or never order.
Ordering frequency is closely tied to the average time spent online per day. Among people online for six hours or more a day, two-thirds order either daily or several times a week.
Age also makes a difference. Those aged 25 to 34 are the heaviest users, with 65% ordering daily or a few times a week. Even older groups, including people aged 55 and above, show high regular usage.
What this means: Digital engagement goes hand in hand with food ordering habits. Timely push notifications and contextual prompts during peak online hours could encourage even more frequent orders.
Which apps are favourites?
Overall favourites are:
- Talabat – 35.5%
- Noon Food – 32.05%
- Careem Food – 11.97%
- Deliveroo – 8.72%
- Smiles – 8.52%
Even within the UAE, no one food delivery app can claim the pole position due to the city-level differences.
When asked why an app is their favourite, the most common reason was speed. Customers also praised ease of use, promotions, and restaurant variety.
What this means: Speed is the universal differentiator. If an app cannot guarantee faster delivery, it must excel in reliability and transparency.
What drives app choice
When asked why their favourite app is their favourite, many respondents highlighted ease of use. Clear menus, smooth checkouts, and simple discount applications all contribute to strong brand loyalty.
Usability is what makes people stay with an app once they have chosen it.
But when participants were asked to pick just one single factor that most influences their choice, the story shifts. The results show:
- Speed of delivery – 22.0%
- Good discounts or promotions – 19.2%
- Lowest delivery fees or prices – 14.2%
- Easy to use – 9.6%
- Wide restaurant selection – 8.2%
- Brand trust – 6.0%
- Loyalty or subscription programme – 5.6%
Here, speed clearly comes first, followed by deals and fees. Ease of use still matters, but plays a smaller role in the final decision compared to speed and savings.
What this means: Ease of use is a retention driver. It keeps users loyal and satisfied with their chosen app. Speed, however, is the choice driver. It tips the balance when users decide which app to open at the start of an order. Discounts and delivery fees then act as secondary levers of persuasion.
Subscriptions: uptake and barriers
Half of UAE residents in our study (50.2%) say they currently pay for a food delivery subscription. This signals that subscriptions are no longer a niche offer; they are becoming part of mainstream usage but there are some lingering doubts. Let’s explore some of the key reasons why users are still on the fence about subscriptions.
Why have people not subscribed
The most common reason is frequency. Many respondents said they simply do not order food often enough to justify paying a monthly fee. This barrier highlights the close link between order volume and perceived value.
The second barrier is value perception. A large group said the savings do not outweigh the cost of a subscription. For them, the benefits feel unclear or marginal.
The third is flexibility. Many prefer to use multiple apps and do not want to be tied to a single platform.
Other reasons include already getting good deals without subscribing, waiting for a free trial, not knowing subscriptions exist, or having cancelled one previously.
What this means: For subscriptions to grow, food delivery apps must demonstrate transparent savings and flexibility. Clear savings calculators, short free trials, and cancel-anytime options can build trust. For lighter users, a full subscription may never make sense, but smaller bundles, loyalty credits, or seasonal passes could meet their needs.
Where the experience breaks down
Even though food delivery apps are part of daily life in the UAE, reliability remains a weak point. Respondents reported experiencing one of the following issues from time to time:
- Late delivery – 53.6% (43.8% sometimes, 7% often, 2.8% always)
- Food arrived cold or poorly packaged – 40.8%
- Driver couldn’t find my location – 38.6%
- Discounts or promos didn’t apply correctly – 37.8%
- Customer support unhelpful or slow – 36.4%
- Menu or pricing unclear – 27.6%
- Incorrect items in the order – 25.8%
- Couldn’t track order properly – 23.8%
- App crashed or froze – 18.6%
While many of these happen occasionally, some frustrations are experienced more persistently. Looking at those who said the issue happens often or always:
- Discounts not applying correctly – 15.8%
- Customer support unhelpful – 14.0%
- Late delivery – 9.8%
- Food arriving cold – 9.2%
These numbers show that promotions, support, and delivery timing are not just one-off glitches, but systemic weak spots in the customer journey.
Late delivery was reported more often for Talabat (60.6%) and Deliveroo (60.5%) compared to Noon Food (46.8%). Promo misapplication was highest for Deliveroo (44.2%) and Noon Food (41.8%), with Talabat performing slightly better at 34.3%.
What this means: Operational reliability is the weak link across the market. Customers expect delivery to be quick, hot, and accurate. Anything less is frustrating. Apps can recover trust by:
- Improving last-mile accuracy with better driver tools and clearer address handover.
- Fixing promo logic so discounts always apply as expected.
- Enhancing support recovery with faster, more proactive service and automatic credits for late or failed orders.
In their words..
Behind the numbers are stories of frustration and mixed recovery. When we asked people to describe their worst food delivery experience, a few themes stood out:
- Delays and missed ETAs: Long waits, unclear updates, and sometimes only a refund as compensation.
- Wrong or missing items: Orders arriving incomplete or incorrect, leaving customers to chase fixes.
- Cold food: Meals arriving in poor condition, particularly on longer routes or busy evenings.
- Location confusion: Drivers were unable to find buildings or entrances, even when details were provided.
Some representative responses:
- “My delivery got delayed multiple times. In the end, support gave me a full refund.”
- “One part of my order was wrong. The agent resolved it after I sent photos, but it took time.”
- “Food arrived completely cold. It felt like it had been sitting around for ages.”
- “Delivery was misdelivered to the wrong place, and then very late when it finally arrived.”
What this means: These stories show that the problem is not only operational errors, but also how apps handle recovery. Quick refunds, proactive communication, and seamless issue resolution can make the difference between losing a customer and keeping them loyal.
Bringing it all together
Our research shows that food delivery in the UAE is mature, widely adopted, and fiercely competitive. But it also reveals that speed, trust, and value are what truly define success. Customers have made it clear: the perfect app is one that combines fast delivery, transparent pricing, reliable tracking, and loyalty rewards that feel real.
What teams should focus on
For product and design
- Prioritise speed transparency with accurate ETAs and proactive delay notifications.
- Reduce friction in ordering through one-tap reorders, saved favourites, and simpler menu flows.
- Build confidence with reliable tracking and packaging standards that keep food hot and intact.
For growth and pricing
- Reframe subscriptions with transparent savings calculators and easy cancellation.
- Introduce loyalty rewards that convert directly to cash credits or free delivery.
- Simplify promotions so customers never need to guess whether a discount will apply.
For customer support
- Use proactive service playbooks when issues arise, not reactive apologies.
- Automate credits and compensation to remove friction from the recovery journey.
Track recovery satisfaction as a key performance metric, not just speed of response.
Final thoughts
Food delivery in the UAE has become part of everyday life, but the experience is not yet seamless. Our research shows that while people value speed, ease of use, and discounts, they are equally frustrated by delays, cold food, and unreliable promos. Subscriptions have gained ground, yet many still question whether the cost is justified.
The message is clear. Winning in this market is not about offering everything to everyone. It is about delivering on the basics: fast, hot, reliable orders.. and layering value with transparent pricing, simple rewards, and confident customer support. The brands that master these fundamentals will be the ones customers trust and return to, time and again.
At UserQ, we make this kind of insight possible. Our on-demand research platform connects you with real users across the MENA region, helping you understand what people need, where the experience breaks, and how to design products and services that truly deliver.
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