Talabat, the MENA region’s leading delivery and quick commerce platform, has announced the significant expansion of Talabat Kitchens, its partner-centric cloud kitchen network. Since launching in 2020, the network has grown into one of the largest in the region, operating over 30 kitchen hubs and setting its sights on further aggressive growth.
The company plans to expand its network to 50 kitchens within the next three years. It has also set an ambitious goal for 10% of all food orders in its mature markets to be fulfilled through the Talabat Kitchens network in the same period, signaling its strategic importance to the local F&B ecosystem.
“talabat Kitchens was built to solve two things at once: faster delivery for customers and smarter growth and stronger unit economics for our restaurant partners,” said Awais Malik, General Manager, Kitchens, talabat MENA. “We don’t own brands, we enable them – by giving them proximity, data intelligence, and operational leverage at scale.”
A Partner-First Model Fueling Growth
Talabat Kitchens operates on an asset-light, partner-first model that enables restaurants, from global franchises to homegrown SMEs, to scale into new delivery zones without the burden of heavy capital investment.
The network currently supports over 1,000 restaurant partners across the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Jordan. This model allows established brands and emerging concepts to efficiently expand their customer reach and increase order volume while maintaining control over their unique offerings.
Scaling Intelligently With Pepper AI
At the core of this expansion is Pepper, an in-house AI-powered system developed by Talabat’s parent company, Delivery Hero. This integrated platform is the engine behind the network’s intelligent growth, powering predictive demand forecasting, optimal partner and location matching, and real-time performance monitoring.
“With Pepper, we’re not just placing kitchens — we’re predicting demand, optimizing preparation, shortening delivery loops, and identifying the right partners before the market does,” stated Tarek El Halabi, Country Lead, Kitchens, talabat UAE. “This is cloud kitchen infrastructure powered by intelligence, not replication.”
Reshaping The Delivery Experience
By strategically placing kitchens closer to customers, Talabat Kitchens is significantly improving the delivery experience, making it faster and more efficient. Since its first site launched in Abu Dhabi in 2020, the network has scaled to over 500 individual kitchen stalls.
This proximity-based approach not only enhances customer satisfaction but also reduces delivery mileage and emissions, aligning with the company’s broader sustainability objectives. Looking forward, Talabat Kitchens will continue its expansion, aiming to export successful brands into new markets while embedding AI and sustainability into its core operations.
About Talabat
Talabat is the leading on-demand delivery platform in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Founded in Kuwait in 2004, it operates in the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt. As a subsidiary of Delivery Hero SE, Talabat leverages global expertise to drive innovation in the on-demand delivery sector. The company is headquartered in Dubai and completed its initial public offering on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) in December 2024.
Source: Zawya
