Meituan (美团) : China's dominant local-services hub for food delivery, hotel bookings and everyday purchases.

Founded in 2010 as a group-buying site, Meituan merged with rival Dianping in 2015 and listed in Hong Kong in 2018. It now pairs delivery with restaurant reviews and discounts — Yelp, DoorDash and Groupon in one app.

The same account orders hot meals, books hotels and flights, reserves movie seats and unlocks shared bikes.

Riders handled 21.9 billion on-demand orders in 2023 across some 2,800 Chinese cities and counties. The service runs in Chinese for mainland users; ordering overseas needs a local delivery address.

How does Meituan handle user data and privacy?

Meituan collects location, order history, and payment data for service optimization. As a Chinese company listed in Hong Kong, it follows China's data security laws. The app requires extensive permissions to function fully.

Can foreigners use Meituan while traveling in China?

It can work, but setup requires a Chinese phone number and Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to an international card. The app is entirely in Chinese with no full English version, making navigation challenging for non-Chinese speakers.

How does Meituan compare to Uber Eats?

Unlike Uber Eats, Meituan is a super-app combining delivery, ride-hailing, hotel booking, movie tickets, and bike-sharing. It processes more delivery orders than any platform globally and dominates China's local services market.

What does Meituan deliver besides food?

Meituan delivers food, groceries, medicine, flowers, alcohol, and daily essentials within 30 minutes. It also offers hotel booking, movie tickets, and ride-hailing. It is the world's largest local services super-app.

Is Meituan accessible from outside China?

Meituan is geo-restricted and targets domestic users. Overseas visitors need a Chinese phone number and Alipay/WeChat Pay to register. Some English exists for hotel booking via Trip.com, but the main app is Chinese-only.