Syrve MENA’s analysis shows delivery order volumes in the UAE 5ose 15.2% year-on-year in H1 2026, despite a decline in total restaurant orders. This indicates delivery is capturing a larger share of demand as the sector contracts.
Dubai : Syrve MENA, a leading restaurant management software provider in the Middle East, has published its restaurant data for the UAE for the first half of 2026.
The report shows that delivery orders at the same restaurants increased by 15.2%. In the UAE, delivery orders rose by 14.5%. At the same time, total order volumes dropped by 4% and gross revenue fell by 5.5%, primarily due to a 10.5% decline in dine-in orders. These figures reflect Syrve’s own network, comparing the same restaurants active in both 2025 and 2026, so the actual market-wide decline is likely steeper than 5.5%
Delivery growth: increased order volumes in a contracting market
In the first half of 2026, delivery made up 30.5% of all restaurant orders handled by Syrve’s network, up from 25.4% a year earlier. Delivery’s share of revenue also grew from 18.6% to 22.5%.
On average, UAE restaurants that offered delivery handled 11,642 delivery orders in the first half of 2026, or about 1,940 orders per month. The average value of a delivery order stayed about the same, dropping slightly from 77.35 AED to 76.97 AED. This delivery revenue growth came from more frequent orders, not higher spending per order.
The UAE’s online food delivery market was projected to be worth $10.86 billion in 2026 and is expected to reach $22.19 billion by 2034, growing at a 9.34% annual rate. This growth is fueled by more people using smartphones and the rise of super-apps.
Dine-in: declining order volumes, stable spend per customer
Dine-in orders across Syrve’s network dropped by 10.5% year-on-year in the first half of 2026, reflecting a broader market slowdown. Still, the average amount spent per dine-in order went up from 115.21 AED to 115.81 AED. The average order value across both dine-in and delivery fell by just 1.5%.
Average sales revenue per restaurant stayed steady at 2.25 million AED in the first half of 2026, compared to 2.27 million AED a year earlier. Syrve’s data show that the overall drop was mostly due to fewer of the same restaurants trading year-on-year, not because each restaurant earned less.
Dine-in remains the primary source of foodservice spending in the region. In the broader GCC market, dine-in made up 62.24% of total spending in 2025.
Mid-year volatility: sharp reversal after Ramadan
Syrve’s data for the first half of 2026 shows a big change in order patterns halfway through the period. In the first seven weeks of 2026, order volumes were up 16% to 26% compared to the previous year.
In the week of February 17, growth turned into a 15% year-on-year drop, which deepened to about 30% by April before recovering to roughly last year’s levels by late June. Across H1 2026 overall, this downturn hit 61% of restaurants, with a typical decline of 7.2%, and was felt most by premium and tourist-focused places.
Ramadan 2026 began in the same week as the downturn, making early analysis harder. But since the weakness continued through April, beyond Ramadan’s normal effects, it suggests another factor also played a role in the decline.
“The H1 2026 numbers confirm what we’ve seen across our network: delivery is taking a bigger share of restaurant demand, even as the overall market faces lower volumes. The most successful operators are those who track channel mix and demand changes in real time and adjust their plans,” says Alex Ponomarev, CEO, Syrve MENA.
This trend is likely to continue, with the GCC foodservice market expected to grow from $69.13 billion in 2026 to $122.19 billion by 2031, at a 12.07% annual growth rate. More customers are choosing delivery first, which is a key reason for this growth. For all operators, being able to forecast demand accurately and keep channels flexible will become even more important.
