Cebu City recently became the gathering place for food entrepreneurs and restaurant leaders from across the Visayas as foodpanda hosted the CRAVE Partner Summit & Awards 2026, highlighting the growing role of digital platforms in helping regional food businesses expand and scale.
The event brought together merchants from key markets across Central, Eastern, and Western Visayas, with discussions centered on how local food businesses can use technology, customer insights, marketing tools, and delivery solutions to reach more customers and improve their operations.
foodpanda Highlights Growth Opportunities for Visayas Merchants
More than just a food delivery platform, foodpanda highlighted how its digital ecosystem can help regional merchants better understand customer demand and make data-driven business decisions.
Through tools such as real-time customer analytics, targeted marketing solutions, and improved delivery fulfillment, local restaurants and food businesses can respond to changing consumer behavior while reaching customers beyond their physical locations.
This is particularly relevant for businesses in destinations like Cebu and other parts of the Visayas, where tourism and regional mobility can create opportunities to serve both local customers and visiting travelers.
Patricia Jacinto, Director for Growth and Marketing at foodpanda Philippines, said the company aims to help merchant partners grow by combining their culinary expertise with foodpanda’s technology and insights.
According to Jacinto, this can help businesses respond more quickly to market changes, increase order volumes, and scale beyond their physical storefronts.
CRAVE 2026 Recognizes Top-Growing Food Brands in the Visayas
One of the highlights of CRAVE 2026 was the recognition of foodpanda’s regional merchant partners for their business performance, growth, marketing initiatives, and customer experience.
The Pau-Pau’s Top of Table award recognized merchants for market leadership and sales performance. The awardees were:
- Alberto’s Pizza
- Sal’s Bar and Restaurant
- Dimsum Break
- Ribshack
- PorkHub
Meanwhile, the Pau-Pau’s Momentum Master award recognized businesses that achieved strong year-on-year growth during the first half of 2026. Awardees included:
- Sisigan Sa Doctors
- Ma. Lina Catering Services
- The Original AA BBQ
- Sans Rival Cakes and Pastries
- Tiktilaok
The Pau-Pau’s Brand Spotlight award highlighted merchants for innovative marketing and strong partnerships on the foodpanda platform. Recipients were:
- Felisa’s Cafe & Restaurant
- Mom Rose
- Cebu’s Tasty Lechon
- Cribs
- Ram’s Pizza, Pasta and Milktea
- Metro Retail Supermarket
Food Businesses Recognized for Operational Excellence
CRAVE 2026 also recognized merchants that demonstrated strong fulfillment and service reliability through the Operational Excellence award.
The awardees were:
- Hybrid Coffee
- Somac Korean Restaurant
- Got Tea? Crafted Milk Tea
- Popcha Milktea Station
- Gabby’s Bistro
- Rose Pharmacy
Customer experience was also part of the awards, with the People’s Palate Award recognizing crowd favorites that stood out for customer ratings and repeat orders.
The awardees were:
- Hukad Everyday Filipino
- SAJ HUT
- Mango Magic
- Dapogan
- Wingers Unlimited
foodpanda Expands AI and Marketing Tools for Merchants
Looking ahead to the holiday season, foodpanda said it is continuing to expand its merchant ecosystem with technology designed to support long-term business growth.
Among the developments highlighted during CRAVE 2026 are AI-driven forecasting tools and automated marketing features. These are intended to help regional merchants maximize their daily capacity, better anticipate demand, and encourage repeat customers.
For food entrepreneurs, these tools can complement their existing operations by providing additional insights into customer behavior and demand patterns.
Jacinto described foodpanda as a growth engine for regional entrepreneurs, emphasizing the company’s goal of giving local food brands across the Visayas access to technology that can support their businesses.
CRAVE 2026 Heads to Manila
Following its Cebu stop, the CRAVE 2026 roadshow is set to continue to Manila for its final leg.
The Cebu event underscored the growing importance of technology in the regional food industry, while also putting the spotlight on the restaurants, food businesses, and entrepreneurs contributing to the Visayas’ vibrant culinary scene.
For local merchants, the continued development of digital ordering, analytics, marketing, and fulfillment tools could provide new ways to reach customers and grow beyond their traditional storefronts.