Bearing fruit: Naim, a pineapple seller on Jl. Madrasah, South Jakarta, has been a GoFood partner for the past two months.

Online food delivery services have not only created thousands, if not tens of thousands of jobs, they have also widened our dining options while providing convenience. From high-end restaurants located in shopping malls to street-food vendors, thanks to app-based delivery companies like Gojek and Grab, these are all readily available to us with only a few scrolls and a touch of our smartphone screens.

Street vendors have especially benefited from their services by being more accessible to customer near and far.

Many food carts offering such delights as gorengan (fried snacks), gado-gado (vegetable salad with peanut sauce), pempek (fish cake), fruits and es cendol (iced beverage with rice flour jelly, palm sugar and coconut milk) now boast the logo of app-based food delivery services.

“Before using GoFood, I earned Rp 300,000 [US$ 21.94] a day,” said Sobirin, a gorengan vendor in Fatmawati, South Jakarta.

“Now, I can earn Rp 400,000 a day on average.

Sobirin has been a GoFood partner for less than a year. He and other street-food vendors are hopeful that by using the app, they can increase their income and subsequently, the welfare of their families.

Available online: Rohman, a pempek (fish cake) seller installs a GoFood banner on his cart in Bumi Serpong Damai, South Tangerang, Banten.

Fried food: Sobirin prepares gorengan (fried snacks) at his cart on Jl. Fatmawati, South Jakarta.

We’re connected: Stickers and a banner for GoFood are seen on an es cendol (iced beverage with rice flour jelly, palm sugar and coconut milk) cart in Bumi Serpong Damai, South Tangerang, Banten.

Lunch time: A vendor sells gado-gado (vegetable salad in peanut sauce) in the Cilandak area of South Jakarta.

Text & photos JP/Arief Suhardiman