Restaurant and food service industry in Thailand - statistics & facts

Visiting Thailand is on the bucket list for many people around the world for several reasons. These include its stunning natural resources, the hospitality of its people, exotic cultures, and the remarkable experiences of both its local and international food scenes. The restaurant industry in Thailand has been prosperous and its contribution to the nation’s GDP had been gradually rising since 2009 up until 2020 due to the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.   Nevertheless, the number of restaurants still increased in that year. 

The thriving restaurant and food services industry 

Through the economy’s ups and downs, the restaurant industry often performs well. The sales value of restaurant businesses in Thailand is forecast to reach higher in the next few years. In the big cities where convenience is crucial, the variety of restaurants and trendy food services seem to be popular among Thai urbanites. In addition, cafés and bars are some of the most popular meet-up locations for Thais. The revenue of coffee shops in the country had been gradually increasing in the past years. Thailand is also known for its vast selection and availability of street food. With the hectic lifestyle that locals have, buying food from street stalls that are stationed all over the country are a suitable and sensible choice.

The rise of the food delivery market 

With the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, it is unquestionable that the restaurant industry has been heavily negatively affected. Strict measures imposed in the country no longer allowed dine-ins, only takeaway was possible. Hence, food delivery gained its momentum more than ever. In addition, a survey conducted in June 2020 revealed that most of Thai consumers ordered food more online because of social distancing and staying home preference. This certainly benefitted the food delivery operators in the country. Some of the key players in Thailand’s food delivery market are Foodpanda, GrabFood, Line Man, and Happy Fresh, with Grab accounting for the highest share of the food delivery market in the country. Furthermore, the value of food delivery market in Thailand was forecast to amount to around one billion U.S. dollars in 2020.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 11, 2023

Key insights

Forecasted sales value of food service sector in Thailand in 2023
34.48bn usd
Growth rate of restaurant market value in Thailand
2.60%
Number of restaurants in Thailand
530k
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Market value of food delivery in Thailand from 2018 to 2021 (in billion Thai baht)

Delivery & Takeout

Market value of food delivery Thailand 2018-2021

Total number of restaurants in Thailand from 2017 to 2020 (in 1,000s)

Restaurant Market

Number of restaurants Thailand 2017-2020

Market value of restaurants in Thailand from 2018 to 2020, with a forecast for 2021 (in billion Thai baht)

Restaurant Market

Value of restaurant market Thailand 2018-2021

Related topics

Recommended

5

Recommended statistics

Overview

4

Overview

Restaurants

6

Restaurants

Quick service restaurants and street food

6

Quick service restaurants and street food

Food delivery

7

Food delivery

Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Thailand
Thailand
Demographics of Thailand
Demographics of Thailand
Internet usage in Thailand
Internet usage in Thailand
Retail sector in Thailand
Retail sector in Thailand
The digital market in Thailand
The digital market in Thailand

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Meredith Alda
Meredith Alda
Sales Manager– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
support.japan@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Group Director - LATAM– Contact (Latin America)
Email
latam@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu