Talabat
Talabat is a Middle Eastern online food-ordering and delivery platform owned by Delivery Hero.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Talabat is a digital food-ordering and delivery brand serving consumers, restaurants, and delivery couriers across several Middle Eastern markets. The business was founded in Kuwait in 2004 after four Kuwaiti students in Cairo developed an online ordering concept inspired by the Egyptian service Otlob. Its Arabic name, طلبات, is commonly romanized as Talabat and refers to orders or requests. The company initially connected customers with restaurants through a website and later expanded its proposition around mobile ordering, restaurant discovery, payment, delivery coordination, and marketplace logistics. Talabat’s early growth was concentrated in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. In 2009, it was processing an average of approximately 1,250 daily transactions and changed its consumer-facing spelling from 6alabat.com to Talabat.com, replacing a mixed Arabic-English transliteration with a more standardized English form. The platform subsequently introduced a redesigned website and user interface in 2011 and expanded into Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman in 2012. Qatar was added in 2013, while Jordan joined the network in 2017. Talabat no longer operates directly in Saudi Arabia; users there have been directed to HungerStation, another Delivery Hero business. The company became part of the international online-food-delivery consolidation wave during the 2010s. Rocket Internet acquired Talabat in 2015 for a reported US$170 million and placed it within the Global Online Takeaway Group. In 2016, that food-delivery business was acquired by Delivery Hero, making Talabat a subsidiary of the German marketplace group. Abdulhamid Alomar became chief executive in connection with the transition, and Tomaso Rodriguez was appointed chief executive in 2019 after Alomar stepped down. Under Delivery Hero, Talabat broadened its regional footprint and absorbed related operations. Carriage, another Delivery Hero-owned food-delivery service, was absorbed into Talabat in January 2020. Delivery Hero’s Egyptian service Otlob was subsequently rebranded as Talabat, allowing the Talabat identity to extend into Egypt by 2020. The platform also added distribution through Huawei’s app marketplace in December 2020 and entered Iraq in 2021, beginning with Erbil and later expanding to cities including Baghdad, Sulaymaniyah, Duhok, Zakho, Basra, and Najaf. Beyond conventional restaurant delivery, Talabat has presented itself as a technology and logistics platform. During Expo 2020 Dubai, it served as the official food-delivery provider, showcased cloud-kitchen concepts, and worked with Terminus Group on autonomous delivery robots. The Expo initiative demonstrated the brand’s interest in robotics, alternative fulfillment models, and large-scale event logistics, although its core business remains marketplace-based food ordering and delivery. Talabat’s positioning combines local-market familiarity with the infrastructure, technology, and regional scale of Delivery Hero. Its principal stakeholders are consumers seeking restaurant meals, restaurants seeking digital demand and delivery capacity, and couriers fulfilling orders. The brand’s market scope and service portfolio have changed over time through geographic expansion, acquisitions, rebranding, and integration of other Delivery Hero assets. Public reference material identifies Talabat as active across Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Jordan, Egypt, and Iraq, while corporate leadership and precise market coverage may change over time.
History
Talabat originated from an idea developed in Cairo in 2001 by four Kuwaiti students who saw an opportunity to organize restaurant ordering online. Their concept was influenced by Otlob, an Egyptian food-ordering service that had already established an online model. In 2004, the founders established Talabat General Trading and Contracting Company in Kuwait. The name Talabat comes from Arabic and broadly means orders or requests, linking the brand directly to its ordering function. The business initially operated as a Kuwait-centered online ordering service and later expanded into Saudi Arabia. By 2009, it was handling an average of about 1,250 transactions per day. That year, the company changed its web identity from 6alabat.com to Talabat.com. The change moved away from a hybrid transliteration using the numeral 6 and toward a simpler English spelling intended to improve consistency and recognition. Talabat also received Kuwait’s Best E-Business award in 2008 and 2009. In 2011, Talabat introduced a revised website layout and user-interface changes. Geographic expansion accelerated in 2012, when the company entered Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Qatar followed in 2013. These moves established the foundation for a Gulf-wide marketplace connecting restaurants and consumers across multiple national markets. A major ownership transition occurred in 2015, when Rocket Internet acquired Talabat for a reported US$170 million. Talabat became part of Rocket Internet’s Global Online Takeaway Group, alongside other digital food-ordering assets. In 2016, Delivery Hero took over the relevant Rocket Internet food-delivery business. Talabat consequently became a Delivery Hero subsidiary, and Abdulhamid Alomar assumed the chief executive role during the transition. The company later expanded into Jordan in 2017. Leadership changed again in 2019 when Tomaso Rodriguez, previously associated with Grab, was appointed chief executive after Alomar stepped down. The Delivery Hero structure also enabled operational consolidation. In January 2020, Carriage, a Delivery Hero-owned delivery service, was absorbed into Talabat. In Egypt, Otlob—an established service operating since 1999 and acquired by Delivery Hero in 2016—was rebranded as Talabat during 2020. The rebranding extended the Talabat identity beyond the Gulf into the Egyptian market. The company continued developing its digital distribution in 2020, including the addition of its app to Huawei’s marketplace. In 2021, Talabat launched in Erbil in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region and then expanded to other Iraqi cities. This brought the platform into a further set of markets while increasing competition with local delivery services. Talabat also pursued high-visibility technology and event initiatives. In August 2021, it was named the official food-delivery provider for Expo 2020 Dubai. Its Expo presence included cloud-kitchen concepts and a presentation of multiple food brands. In September, Talabat and Terminus Group introduced ten autonomous food-delivery robots for visitors. Expo 2020 opened in October 2021 after a one-year delay related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has not remained active in every market it once served. In particular, Talabat previously operated in Saudi Arabia but later withdrew its direct consumer presence there, with users redirected to HungerStation, another Delivery Hero subsidiary. Its continuing identity is therefore best understood as a Delivery Hero regional brand whose footprint has been shaped by both organic expansion and group-level integration. Publicly available reference material also records Kuwaiti fair-competition litigation, indicating that regulatory and competitive issues have formed part of its corporate history.
- 2021
Iraq expansion and Expo 2020 partnership
[1]Talabat entered Iraq and became Expo 2020 Dubai’s official food-delivery provider, including a pilot involving autonomous delivery robots.
- 2020
Carriage integration and Egyptian rebrand
[1]Carriage was absorbed into Talabat, while Delivery Hero’s Egyptian Otlob service was rebranded under Talabat.
- 2017
Jordan launch
[1]Talabat began operating in Jordan.
- 2016
Became a Delivery Hero subsidiary
[1]Delivery Hero took over Rocket Internet’s food-delivery business, including Talabat.
- 2015
Acquired by Rocket Internet
[1]Rocket Internet acquired Talabat for a reported US$170 million.
- 2013
Qatar launch
[1]Talabat entered Qatar.
- 2012
Expansion into Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman
[1]Talabat began operations in three additional Gulf markets.
- 2009
Brand spelling standardized
[1]The company changed its web identity from 6alabat.com to Talabat.com and was reported to be processing about 1,250 daily transactions.
- 2008
First Best E-Business recognition
[1]Talabat received Kuwait’s Best E-Business award.
- 2004
Talabat founded in Kuwait
[1]Talabat General Trading and Contracting Company was established in Kuwait.
Products and positioning
A regionally scaled, technology-enabled food-ordering and delivery marketplace combining local restaurant relationships with Delivery Hero’s international platform and logistics capabilities.
Online food ordering · 2004
Talabat online food marketplace
Talabat’s core marketplace lets customers browse participating restaurants, select meals, submit orders, and arrange delivery through the brand’s digital channels. The service is localized by country and city, with restaurant availability and delivery coverage varying by market.
Mobile commerce
Talabat mobile application
The Talabat app extends the ordering marketplace to mobile users. It supports restaurant discovery and order placement and has been distributed through major app ecosystems, including Huawei’s marketplace from 2020.
Delivery logistics · 2004
Restaurant delivery network
The delivery network connects restaurant orders with couriers and customers. It is a central part of Talabat’s value proposition for restaurants that need digital demand generation and delivery capacity without building a complete consumer-facing logistics system themselves.
Food-service infrastructure · 2021
Cloud-kitchen concepts
Talabat presented cloud-kitchen concepts at Expo 2020 Dubai. These concepts represent a fulfillment-oriented extension of the marketplace model, using delivery-focused food-production formats rather than relying solely on conventional dine-in restaurant premises.
Controversies
Kuwait fair-competition litigation
Reference material reports that lawsuits were filed after Talabat was found to have violated fair-competition rules in Kuwait. A settlement plea submitted by Talabat was reportedly rejected. The available material does not provide sufficient detail on the precise conduct, penalties, or final legal disposition.
Marketing campaigns
- 2021Expo 2020 Dubai partnership
United Arab Emirates
Talabat served as the official food-delivery provider for Expo 2020 Dubai. Its presence included cloud-kitchen concepts and multiple participating food brands, linking the consumer brand with a large international event and technology-focused demonstrations.
Outcome. Talabat also demonstrated autonomous delivery robots with Terminus Group.
Brand decisions
2021
Introduced autonomous delivery robots at Expo 2020Product launchBackground
Talabat used its Expo 2020 partnership to demonstrate delivery technology beyond conventional courier operations.
Action taken
Talabat and Terminus Group introduced ten autonomous food-delivery robots for Expo visitors.
Aftermath
The initiative showcased robotics and automated fulfillment as experimental extensions of Talabat’s delivery model.
2020
Integrated Carriage into TalabatM&ABackground
Carriage was another Delivery Hero-owned food-delivery operation.
Action taken
Delivery Hero absorbed Carriage into Talabat.
Aftermath
The integration consolidated Delivery Hero’s regional delivery activities under the Talabat identity.
2020
Rebranded Otlob in EgyptStrategyBackground
Otlob was a long-running Egyptian food-ordering service that had become part of Delivery Hero.
Action taken
Delivery Hero transitioned Otlob to the Talabat brand.
Aftermath
Talabat operated in Egypt under a unified regional identity.
2015
Accepted acquisition by Rocket InternetM&ABackground
Talabat was expanding beyond Kuwait and had developed a significant Gulf online-ordering presence.
Action taken
Rocket Internet acquired the company for a reported US$170 million.
Aftermath
Talabat became part of Rocket Internet’s Global Online Takeaway Group before moving into Delivery Hero ownership in 2016.
Reported acquisition value. US$170 million (2015)
2009
Standardized the consumer web brand as TalabatStrategyBackground
The company had been using the mixed Arabic-English web spelling 6alabat.com.
Action taken
It adopted Talabat.com, a simpler English transliteration.
Aftermath
The change established the spelling used for the later regional brand.
Recent events
- Unconfirmed
Reported
Talabat expands delivery operations to Zayed City[3]
Talabat extended its delivery operations to Zayed City in Abu Dhabi’s Al Dhafra region and had onboarded more than 50 vendors there.
Reported
Qatar National Tourism Council announces Chefs of Qatar festival collaboration[4]
Qatar National Tourism Council announced the Chefs of Qatar Virtual Food Festival in collaboration with talabat and Qatar Airways. The festival was scheduled to take place from 1 April to 12 May 2021.
Sources4 sources
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