(Yicai) April 15 -- Meituan has pledged a CNY100 billion (USD13.7 billion) investment over the next three years to support the on-demand services giant’s restaurant partners as rival JD.Com steps up its push into food delivery.

The investment will help merchants subsidize consumers to stimulate demand, boost restaurant revenues, reward high-performing businesses, promote the rollout of open kitchens in 100,000 outlets, and strengthen the sector’s infrastructure overall, Xue Bing, general manager of Meituan’s takeout business, told the 2025 China Restaurant Chain Summit yesterday.

The investment pledge represents the largest-ever subsidy initiative in China’s dining sector, The Paper reported today.

Competition in China’s takeout sector has been heating up since internet retail titan JD.Com joined the ranks of Meituan and Ele.me by launching its own food delivery service in February. That same month, JD.Com began attracting merchants by offering a commission-free service for the entire year to those who joined before May 1. 

Last week, JD.Com raised the stakes by launching its own CNY10 billion (USD1.4 billion) subsidy program, aiming to invest that in food businesses within a year.

Sandy Ran Xu, chief executive of JD.Com, said last week that order volumes have surged since the program’s launch. JD Takeaway’s daily food orders are expected to surpass five million this week -- far exceeding expectations.

Editor: Emmi Laine