Amid this pandemic, Asia’s street food dwellers have thought of clever gameplans to advertise and make their dishes sell despite the unfortunate phenomenon. But how do they do it? Find out how these chefs market their cuisine and save their food business during this period.

A Singaporean chef, whose business was banned, has created a Facebook group that aims to aid less tech-savvy food merchants in advertising their takeaways. In support of this bright idea, many people joined the group proven by Melvin Chew who stated that the group has over 250,000 members together with food sellers, named as “hawkers”, and customers.

Another idea in promoting food products is through delivery service. This scheme was led by a booming hostel in Thai capital, Bangkok, which modified their structure into a centre to assist street food vendors in their renowned district. The messaging app LINE was used as a medium for this delivery service connecting vendors with customers around the neighborhood. The Hostel takes only 15 percent commision which is lower compared to other online services.

Applying the proper order flow, the Hostel is able to dispatch their food products. First, the customer will place their order, next, food is delivered at the hostel, and lastly, hostel staff will schedule for the motorbike couriers, and viola! With this, customers can enjoy the dishes offered by different food vendors such as popular Thai street foods and delicious classics like pad thai, roast pork noodles, and other dishes.

Yangon launched a crowd-funding campaign to help the street food dwellers. Yangon, the biggest city in Myanmar, is where many people gather to rally. Regardless of dangerous situations, the vendors there risk their lives to sell foods where and when they can in spite of the harassment from authorities and police. “We want to make sure street vendors have the choice to stay home” Emilie Roel from Doh Eain, the group behind the campaign, stated.

The existence of this pandemic brought a drastic change in people’s lives. Restrictions were applied in different parts of the world, sellers were forced to leave the streets, and customers were advised to stay at home for safety purposes. Even with this lockdown being lifted in some areas, it will be difficult for businesses and vendors to turn back to their normal pace as they have to practice social-distancing for safety measurement.

Despite this difficult time, people are still thinking of ways to make ends meet. Customers may not enjoy their food the way they enjoyed it at restaurants, chairs and tables by the roadside, or with a perfect scenery but innovative chefs are cooking up creative ways to advertise their products. Indeed, they are worth calling as the creative cooks of Southeast Asia.