Tuesday 04 / November / 2025
Muscat: A large number of restaurants, cafés, and cloud kitchens across Muscat have reported significant losses as several online food delivery platforms — including Talabat, Khedmah, and other operators — continue to face widespread service disruption.
What many initially assumed was a technical glitch has now been linked to tighter compliance checks on delivery riders, including visa and licensing requirements, according to several owners of cloud kitchens and restaurants.
Over the past several days, customers across Muscat have been unable to place or receive orders, with most eateries appearing as “closed” on major delivery apps.
The issue has exposed the growing dependence of Oman’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on digital food delivery platforms. Many operators say they are now struggling to maintain operations amid a sudden drop in orders.
“We’ve had barely 20 percent of our usual orders since Friday,” said a cloud-kitchen owner in Ruwi, who requested anonymity.
“All the platforms — not just Talabat — have gone quiet. We have staff to pay, rent due, and customers who think we’re closed.”
A café owner in Al Khuwair added: “We are not on the main streets; delivery apps are our storefront. Every hour offline means unsold food and wasted inventory.”
An owner of multiple restaurants told Times of Oman on condition of anonymity: “This whole fiasco is a result of a lack of clear-cut policy from the government on online delivery platform drivers. Many riders are not licensed to deliver, and enforcement agencies are imposing fines of OMR500 for violations.
“The government insists riders should be Omanis, but I feel the local workforce is not yet ready when it comes to food delivery. I know Omanis are delivering for other online platforms like Temu; however, food delivery is a different ball game.”
He added: “Since COVID-19, there has been a ten-fold increase in online deliveries and the setting up of cloud kitchens in Oman. With this latest chaos, SMEs are suffering big time, and the government needs to intervene to safeguard the interests of young Omani entrepreneurs and other business owners.”
Industry observers say the enforcement drive has had consequences across all sectors. A large number of customers have also been left frustrated since the disruption began nearly a week ago.
Online platforms were flooded with complaints as users shared different reasons for the outage. Times of Oman has reached out to the delivery companies and is awaiting official responses.
Users attempting to access the mobile apps or websites said most restaurants appear as “closed” or “unavailable,” effectively rendering the platforms unusable.
This widespread interruption has caused significant inconvenience for residents who rely on the services for their daily meals. For many in Oman, Talabat and similar platforms have become an essential part of daily life, connecting consumers with more than 5,000 vendors — many of them local SMEs.
“It’s been incredibly frustrating,” said Manoj, a resident of Bausher. “I’ve tried ordering dinner several times, and every restaurant shows up as closed. I rely on Talabat when I’m busy at work, and this disruption is a major inconvenience.”
