In the pursuit of substantial revenue generation through dining experiences, Diners Club, a pioneer in the realm of independent card firms, envisioned the tremendous profit potential of effortless “dining out” long before Grab entered the scene. Established in 1950, Diners Club initially focused on issuing travel and entertainment credit cards to facilitate convenience for businessmen.

The inception of this groundbreaking idea can be attributed to the founder of Diners Club, Frank McNamara, who experienced a pivotal moment while dining out. Legend has it that during an occasion when he was entertaining clients, McNamara realized he had inadvertently left his wallet at home, leaving him in an embarrassing predicament where his wife had to settle the bill. However, this incident ignited the spark of creativity within him, leading to the conceptualization of a versatile charge card. Today, Diners Club stands as a revenue-generating powerhouse, amassing over US$150 million in annual revenue and operating as a subsidiary of Discover Financial Services (DFS, NYSE).

Despite the passage of decades since McNamara’s visionary idea materialized, the fundamental premise remains so robust that Grab (GRAB, NDAQ) has placed its bet on capturing users’ engagement with its innovative “dine-in” feature, designed to offer a comprehensive end-to-end restaurant experience.