Trip.Gourmet Unveils Top Global Restaurants and Exciting New Features at Global Awards

Trip.Gourmet Unveils Top Global Restaurants and Exciting New Features at Global Awards

By Nishang Narayan

Published on August 26, 2024

Trip.Gourmet, Trip.com Group's renowned food travel guide, celebrated a significant milestone at the Trip.Gourmet Global Rebrand Launch and Trip.Best Gourmet Awards held at the Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Marina Bay Sands. The event unveiled the refreshed gl

obal ranking of top restaurants and introduced a suite of new features, underscoring the growing importance of food tourism in today’s travel experiences.

A Culinary Journey: New Themes and Global RankingsFounded in 2016, Trip.Gourmet has become a one-stop guide for food enthusiasts, offering global restaurant rankings, travel-focused content, and convenient reservation options. The latest global rankings now include four new themes that perfectly blend travel with dining: Fine Dining (Black Diamond, Diamond, and Platinum), Local Restaurants, Light Bites, and Restaurants for Views & Experiences. This enhanced selection covers over 10,000 restaurants in more than 300 cities and regions worldwide.

These rankings are curated based on restaurant quality, user reviews, relevance to the theme, and the destination's popularity, with a strong emphasis on the travel attributes of the restaurants, making it a unique guide for global travelers.

Trip.Best Integration and Easy Reservations

In a major update, Trip.Gourmet is now fully integrated with the Trip.Best lists on the Trip.com app, allowing travelers to seamlessly explore top accommodations, activities, dining, and nightlife in one place. This integration makes Trip.Gourmet a comprehensive guide for those seeking the best travel and dining experiences.

Furthermore, Trip.Gourmet now supports direct reservations at over 50,000 restaurants globally, collaborating with leading booking platforms like The Fork in Europe, Chope in Southeast Asia, OpenRice in Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions, OpenTable in North America, and TableCheck in Japan. This feature ensures that securing a table at top dining establishments is just a click away for travelers.

Celebrating Culinary Excellence

The awards ceremony highlighted several top fine dining establishments from the Asia-Pacific region, including Odette, Waku Ghin by Tetsuya Wakuda, and CUT by Wolfgang Puck in Singapore; Kubu at Mandapa in Bali; Potong and Le Du in Bangkok; SÉZANNE and RyuGin in Tokyo; and La Yeon and Bicena in Seoul.

On the prestigious Black Diamond list, nearly 49.12% of the top restaurants hailed from France, China, and Japan, reflecting these countries' dominance in the fine dining scene. European entries like Core by Clare Smyth (UK), L'Oiseau Blanc (France), and Disfrutar (Spain) also made a strong impression.

Luxury hotel dining was prominently featured, with 41% of Trip.Gourmet's rankings dedicated to hotel restaurants, highlighting a rising trend among affluent travelers. Notable mentions include Lai Po Heen at the Mandarin Oriental in Kuala Lumpur, JAAN by Kirk Westaway in Swissôtel The Stamford Singapore, and Ossiano at the Atlantis, The Palm Dubai. The Four Seasons and Ritz-Carlton brands stood out, hosting multiple top-rated restaurants in cities like Hong Kong, Paris, Tokyo, and Osaka.

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A Love for Local Delights

Trip.Gourmet has also launched a new Food Guide Channel on both Trip.com and Ctrip platforms, designed to uncover local culinary gems. This feature recommends speciality food lists and must-try dishes, inspiring travelers to explore unique flavors across diverse destinations. Additionally, in collaboration with Shangri-La, the "Taste the Season" campaign has been launched, offering hotel stays, signature dishes, and food vouchers, further enriching the culinary travel experience.

To support this rising trend, Trip.Gourmet produced a mini-drama series, now available on social media, showcasing the unique blend of travel and dining.

About Trip.Gourmet

Since its inception in 2016, Trip.Gourmet has been committed to providing objective and fair food guides amid a vast array of restaurants catering to diverse user tastes. Leveraging years of user data and authoritative culinary opinions, Trip.Gourmet continues to select the best dining experiences worldwide. The Global Rebrand Launch and Trip.Best Gourmet Awards mark the next step in delivering practical, accurate, and efficient food guides for global travelers.

For more information and to explore the top restaurants, visit Trip.com.

About Trip.com Group

Trip.com Group is a leading global travel service provider, offering a wide range of travel products and services across its platforms. Founded in 1999, the company is dedicated to helping travelers make informed and cost-effective bookings, while enabling partners to connect their offerings with users through a comprehensive travel content and resource platform.

For more details, visit group.trip.com.


McDonald’s Returns to Sales Growth with Pop Culture Tie-ins and Budget Meals

McDonald’s Returns to Sales Growth with Pop Culture Tie-ins and Budget Meals

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on August 10, 2025

McDonald’s has bounced back to growth, reporting a 3.8% rise in global same-store sales for the second quarter of 2025, driven by smart value-driven offerings and creative pop culture collaborations. The uptick marks a positive shift for the brand after four quarters of sluggish or declining growth, helped along by consumer-focused strategies aimed at easing economic concerns.

International markets led the charge, while sales in the US rose by 2.5%, reversing the downward trend seen in previous quarters. The brand’s strong quarter was supported by promotions tied to pop culture, such as limited-time offers linked to the Minecraft movie and Squishmallows collectibles, which drew attention from younger audiences and families alike.

Alongside the promotions, the launch of a $5 meal bundle and the introduction of new chicken items helped McDonald’s connect with budget-conscious customers seeking both value and variety. These strategies appear to have paid off, positioning McDonald’s for continued momentum.

“The overall second-quarter results show that McDonald's strategy is working and could lead to sustained same-store sales outperformance compared to the rest of the industry,” noted Jon Tower, analyst at Citi.

The rebound in the US is particularly notable, especially when compared to competitors like Chipotle Mexican Grill and Pizza Hut, which continue to face challenges in communicating value to consumers. McDonald’s blend of affordability and fun has given it a clear edge, demonstrating how well-timed promotions and accessible pricing can win over today’s cautious diners.


Popeyes Launches in Mumbai with Four New Outlets

Popeyes Launches in Mumbai with Four New Outlets

By Hariharan U

Published on August 10, 2025

Popeyes, the globally loved brand known for its Louisiana-style fried chicken, has officially arrived in Mumbai with the launch of four restaurants across the city. The new outlets are located at Inorbit Mall, Vashi, Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla, and Viviana Mall, Thane, with a fourth store opening soon at Terminal 2 of Mumbai Airport.

Operated in India by Jubilant FoodWorks Limited, Popeyes is celebrated for its juicy, 12-hour marinated fried chicken infused with bold Cajun spices and hand-battered for a crispy, flavour-packed bite.

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Sameer Khetarpal, CEO and MD of Jubilant FoodWorks Limited, said, “We are thrilled to bring Popeyes to Mumbai, a city renowned for its love for vibrant and diverse flavours. The brand has received an incredible response across India, and we are confident that Mumbaikars will embrace our signature offerings with the same enthusiasm.

Gaurav Pande, Executive Vice President & Business Head of Popeyes India, added, “Mumbai is a key market for us, and we are delighted to make a grand entry in the city with four stores at prime locations. We’re excited for our Gen Z and millennial audiences to experience everything from the Chicken Sandwich that broke the internet to new flavours in our wings range”.

With its mix of bold flavours, quality ingredients, and global appeal, Popeyes aims to offer Mumbai diners a unique fried chicken experience that stands apart in a competitive market.


Serve Robotics and Little Caesars Introduce Autonomous Pizza Delivery in Los Angeles via Uber Eats

Serve Robotics and Little Caesars Introduce Autonomous Pizza Delivery in Los Angeles via Uber Eats

By Nishang Narayan

Published on August 9, 2025

Little Caesars customers in Los Angeles might soon find a robot at their doorstep delivering HOT-N-READY® pizzas, thanks to a new collaboration between Serve Robotics Inc. (Nasdaq: SERV), the nation’s third-largest pizza chain, and Uber Eats (NYSE: UBER).

The partnership introduces autonomous sidewalk delivery robots into Little Caesars’ Los Angeles delivery operations via Uber Eats, enhancing service speed, convenience, and sustainability. This move builds on Serve’s existing footprint in Los Angeles, Miami, Dallas, and Atlanta, with additional U.S. cities expected soon.

Ali Kashani, CEO of Serve Robotics, said: “Delivering for a beloved national chain like Little Caesars is another opportunity for us to show how we help merchants grow and give consumers a better delivery experience. Seeing a Serve robot at your door will soon become as much of a weekly tradition as pizza night.”

Serve’s third-generation robots are designed with pizza delivery in mind, featuring an expanded cargo bin that can hold four 16-inch pizzas plus sides and drinks, all while maintaining optimal temperature and quality en route.

Trish Heusel, Vice President of Innovation at Little Caesars, added: “Little Caesars is always looking for ways to be innovative in the restaurant industry, and we are proud to partner with Serve Robotics and Uber Eats to deliver our delicious pizzas to our customers in Los Angeles. Partnering with Serve allows us to deliver a solution that aligns with our commitment to better service and technology-forward solutions while reducing our environmental footprint.”

Megan Jensen, Head of Autonomous Delivery Operations at Uber Eats, noted: “By combining smart technology with everyday convenience, we’re making delivery easier, more reliable, and more sustainable.”

Customers in Serve’s Los Angeles delivery zone can now opt for autonomous delivery when ordering Little Caesars through the Uber Eats app.

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