HungryPanda Honours Top Chinese Restaurants in the UK at Global Golden Panda Award Gala

LONDON, March 18, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HungryPanda, the world's leading overseas Asian food delivery platform hosted the 2023 Golden Panda Award Gala on Friday March 1 at the Pan Pacific Hotel in London, UK.

This year's gala held particular significance as it occurred not far from where HungryPanda was founded – The University of Nottingham, where CEO and Founder, Eric Liu was studying.

The 'Golden Panda Award' is a symbol of excellence in the global overseas Chinese food industry, setting the highest standard for culinary achievement. It stands as the world's exclusive international honour specifically dedicated to recognizing restaurant businesses in the food delivery sector.

"Our commitment to promoting and celebrating outstanding achievements in international Asian cuisine is embodied by the 'Golden Panda Award'," said Kelu Liu, CEO of HungryPanda. "We are deeply appreciative of the overwhelming support from our esteemed speakers, attendees and especially our restaurant merchants and delivery riders, who are the driving force behind HungryPanda's success."

This year, 247 HungryPanda merchants worldwide received the esteemed Golden Panda Award honour, 43 of which are located in the UK.

"Our team at JinLi is truly grateful to have been selected for HungryPanda's Best Restaurant Award list," said Martin Ma, CEO of JinLi. "In a sea of amazing Asian restaurants across the UK, it's truly humbling to stand out. We deeply appreciate HungryPanda's belief in us and their recognition of the richness and promise inherent in Asian cuisine."

Despite the UK and other European regions taking pride in their unique culinary traditions, the continuously increasing market share of Asian cuisine in recent years sufficiently demonstrates its immense potential for growth. Particularly in the UK, there is an abundance of Asian-inspired culinary and cultural experiences.

The rising popularity of Asian cuisine in the UK and Europe signifies more than a gastronomic trend; it reflects a growing cultural integration which requires efforts not only meet the demand for authentic Asian cuisine among expats but also promote a broader cultural appreciation, demonstrating the unifying power of food.

"I'm inspired the positive impact HungryPanda is making for Chinese people living overseas," said Jack Perry, Chairman of the 48 Group Club. "China's rich cultural heritage deserves to be cherished, and it brings me great joy to see companies like HungryPanda embracing the diverse flavours of Asia."

Mark Logan MP shared his sentiments, remarking, "Given my personal love and experience in Chinese culture, it was an honour to be part of this year's 'Golden Panda Award Gala'. HungryPanda's dedication to fostering community across the globe is truly commendable."

The gala fostered a supportive, innovative, and collaborative environment, emphasizing the importance of experiencing authentic Asian cuisine outside of Asia. Participants engaged in discussions centred around themes of home and pride, highlighting the cultural significance of Asian culinary traditions and the pride associated with sharing these traditions globally.

"The 'Golden Panda Award Gala' showed the power of collaboration and innovation in advancing the culinary landscape and serving the people of APAC regions, whether residing abroad or traveling," said Weixiang Dong, President of Chinese Catering Culture Association.

Beyond the recognition of restaurant merchants, users and delivery riders, the gala serves as a summit for global food delivery industry, offering industry insights, trends and predications aimed at expanding the Asian food market scale, advancing the commercialization processes and setting a global and ethical benchmark within the Asian food delivery industry.

Alipay+, the cross-border mobile payments and marketing platform operated by Ant International, delivered a keynote speech on the rise of digital wallets globally and their significance as the leading payment method for both online and offline transactions.

"Digital wallets in APAC, excluding China, more than doubled their share of e-commerce transaction value over the past five years," said Eva Zhang, CEO of Alipay+ UK. "Streamlined payment processes not only enhance user satisfaction but also provide merchants with the added benefit of reduced transaction costs."

Recognizing HungryPanda's pivotal role, Rupert Hoogewerf, Founder of HURUN, affirmed, "I admire the work HungryPanda is doing and was delighted to award its founding members spots on the Hurun U30 and U35 lists. What HungryPanda is doing is to build one of the most interesting Chinese diaspora platforms, centred around the growth of the Asian food industry ."

HungryPanda's online ordering platform provides a tailored user experience to Asian users living and traveling abroad, bridging cultural and language barriers. Additionally, it empowers Asian restaurants to connect with the right customers and provide efficient delivery services. For more information please visit https://www.hungrypanda.co/ or follow HungryPanda on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook. 

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About HungryPanda
Founded in 2017, HungryPanda is currently the largest overseas Asian food delivery platform and the only food delivery platform to rank in Deloitte's 2021 UK Technology Fast 50. Starting in Nottingham, U.K., HungryPanda has expanded to more than 80 cities in 10 countries: the U.K., France, Italy, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Singapore. Currently, HungryPanda works with over 40,000 riders, 60,000 merchants and serves over 3.5 million users worldwide. This year, HungryPanda sets sights on $1 billion in gross transaction volume. For more information visit https://www.hungrypanda.co/

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