Careem acquires food delivery platform Munch:On in the UAE

The region’s popular multi-service platform, Careem has acquired subscription-based food delivery platform, Munch: On, in the UAE.

Founded in 2016 by Mohammad Al Zaben, Dana Baki and Awn Ali, Munch: On connects customers – across 20 thousand companies – to meals at a discount by tapping into underutilised kitchen capacity and using scheduling, bundling and routing software.

The platform’s solution drives massive efficiencies for restaurants and cloud kitchens and has built scale in the corporate lunch segment.

Following the acquisition, Munch: On will stop daily operations and the offering will be rebuilt on the Careem ‘Super App’.

The Careem Food and Munch: On teams will work together to introduce low-cost meal segments that the latter has pioneered in the region as well as new food discovery and delivery options for corporates.

Mudassir Sheikha, CEO and co-founder of Careem, commented: “The Munch:On team has built a competitive food offering driven by a clear vision to make food more accessible and affordable. The ‘Food’ offer on the Careem app today serves millions of customers across the Middle East and is growing rapidly. By acquiring Munch: On, Careem Food will be able to build an even more competitive offering with a much richer variety of benefits for both customers and restaurant partners.”

Mohammad Al Zaben, CEO and co-founder of Munch:On, commented: “At Munch:On, we set out to build the most affordable food ordering experience in the world. We are thrilled to be a part of a broader mission at Careem to deliver undeniable value to customers, partners and captains.”

In the UAE, Careem’s app offers more than a dozen services including ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, micro-mobility, payments, and partner services including car rental, home cleaning and PCR testing. Careem Food serves millions of customers with access to over 18,000 restaurants in eight core cities across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Qatar.