With the official announcement that FMCO (Full Movement Control Order) will extend into July 2021, we’re going to have to wait just a little bit longer before our lives and lifestyles can go back to normal.

But while we support the collective efforts to lower the amount of daily cases to a safe rate before reopening, let us give praise to an industry that does so much to keep Malaysians happy and in good spirits, and has faced tremendous challenges while displaying such an impressive innovative spirit all throughout this pandemic: the Food & Beverage industry!

Any Malaysian would agree that ‘food’ is a love language in our country, and while we at GemSpot have been proud to support eateries and other F&B merchants with delivery services, there’s one thing we haven’t been able to do much in the past year, and miss with all our hearts (and stomachs): dining out.

So in looking forward to when we can discover new restaurants or comfortably seat ourselves at our favourite spots again, here are just some of the things we miss the most about eating out.

Discovering new dishes and flavours

Most of the time, we think we know what we like to eat. But in this big, colourful world, there are likely many, many dishes that we don’t even know yet that we like. And there are days when we’re hungry, but frustratingly have no idea what to order.

Imagine going to a specialty restaurant, – a foreign cuisine pop-up, a seafood place, or a steakhouse – and not knowing what to order, only for the situation to be turned around with a friendly server suggesting a meal catered exactly to you.

On some evenings, it might even be your co-diners who introduce you to something new, as you get inspired by seeing something delicious at the table next to you. Or maybe you choose to try the Chef’s special for the evening, whether or not you’ve even heard of the dish before.

It is these dining experiences that enrich our lives, develop our palates and extend our vocabularies. And somehow, no matter how adventurous we’re feeling when looking at a menu online or on an ordering app, food delivery is still second best and not as wholesome of an experience as in-person dining.

Being served, and not having to wash up!

Quite simply, going out and having your meal already plated and served in front of you is a treat in itself. There’s no grocery shopping before, no prep, no chopping, no standing in front of a hot stove or appliance – you get to skip all of that, and go straight to the food, perfectly portioned, and already made.

You may be the most avid home cook, or even the most expert meal delivery customer, but eating at home will always create somewhat of a mess that you would need to clean up after! Plus, there’s the matter of storing leftovers or excess ingredients, as you brainstorm with yourself on what to do with the odd amount of meat and vegetables you are about to put back in your fridge.

There’s a stress relief moment when after dining in a restaurant, you leave your meal experience (and used dishes) there when you walk out the door, only need to worry about getting yourself home, and have no night-before mess to wake up to in the morning. It’s a break we all deserve from time to time, and it’s not only a welcome peace of mind for you, it’s even a pleasure for the restaurant.

Spending quality time with good company

With many people working from home during the pandemic, our homes have become our offices, our gyms, our home-schools, and more. The simple act of going out to eat allows us that necessary change of environment, gives us relief from the workload and thoughts that are on our minds all day, and most of all allows us to share in the company of our loved ones who are also getting a moment to de-stress.

For some people, going out is an opportunity to get dressed. Working at home while wearing sweatpants or workout gear all day, we are susceptible to fall into a funk about our personal image. Sometimes, getting spruced up to go to a nice restaurant is the perfect excuse to rummage through our closets and put on our most flattering outfits, to look at ourselves in the mirror and get a healthy self-esteem boost.

For others, it may be simply the conviviality that we feel amongst fellow Malaysians. From congregating at a mamak to watch a sporting game with your buddies, to having a quick drink with someone after a hike or a badminton game… these simple gatherings often turn out to be the best moments in our week or even month.

For couples and families, eating out together comes with that pre-approved license of getting to partake in each other’s dishes such as going in on a shared appetiser or dessert, or even simply being allowed forkfuls of each other’s orders.

We at GemSpot are proud to support the F&B industry; but while you wait to use our app to make your next table booking as soon as MCO is lifted, please remember that in the meantime you can still support your favourite local eateries by ordering food delivery via our app.


All throughout the month of July, enjoy the low delivery fee of only RM3 for distances up to 25km whenever you place an order, and FREE delivery if ordering RM100 or more in a single order.