Grab Reveals Urban Nightlife Insights: Friday-Saturday Ride Requests Surge 20%, Som Tum Pu Pla Ra Tops Popular Menu

Grab reveals insights into urban nightlife, finding a 20% spike in ride requests on Friday and Saturday nights. "Som Tum Pu Pla Ra" and "condoms" rank as the top items ordered through the app, with over 100,000 orders annually.

Grab Thailand shares data on user behavior during nighttime hours (9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m.) in 2026, showing that economic activity and urban lifestyles remain lively at night, especially among students, night-shift workers, and partygoers.

Friday and Saturday nights, known as "release joy" time, see a sharp rise in ride requests.

According to Grab, weekend usage (Friday-Saturday) for ride-hailing is 20% higher than on weekdays, with peak usage between 9:00 p.m. and midnight, covering trips both homeward and to entertainment venues.

Areas with heavy service use include Sukhumvit, Thonglor-Ekkamai, and the Ekkamai-Ramindra expressway corridor. Additionally, GrabDriveYourCar, a professional driver service, is very popular after midnight, promoting safety and discouraging drunk driving.

"Som Tum Pu Pla Ra and Thai Milk Tea" top late-night meal choices.

Regarding food orders via GrabFood, over 70% of users place orders between 9:00 p.m. and midnight, with notable statistics as follows:

• Som Tum Pu Pla Ra leads as the most popular menu item, with over 200,000 orders annually.
• Street food and fast food favorites include chicken rice, chicken burgers, and fried chicken as the next most popular dishes.
• Beverages: Thai milk tea records more than 120,000 orders per year, followed by iced cocoa and green tea.

Trends in emergency and party supplies orders.

GrabMart service reflects the demand for instant products during nighttime hours.

• Popular item: condoms, with up to 300,000 pieces ordered annually.
• Essentials: mobile phone chargers and A4 paper, catering especially to students working on urgent reports.
• Partygoers favor bottled water, soft drinks, and soda as popular mixers, along with "playing cards" to liven up gatherings.

Focus on foreign tourist groups.

Tourists from China, the U.S., and the U.K. are primary nighttime Grab users, often traveling to nightlife spots like Pattaya's Walking Street, Bangla Road, and Chiang Mai Night Bazaar. They also frequently order "energy drinks" via GrabMart to boost energy and adjust for jet lag.

To support growth in the "night owl" segment, Grab offers up to 15% discounts with the code “NIGHT” on all services from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m., valid until 30 June 2026.