Course-based Project

The Rise of Food Delivery Culture during COVID-19: Sentiment Analysis of Food Delivery Services in the Gulf

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected all aspects of society and economy, including online food delivery services as restaurants limited dine-in options to reduce risks. Little is known about the quality of these delivery services, especially in the Gulf area, or how they were affected by the pandemic. Analyzing customer feedback on social media can help businesses gain insight into the services they provide. This paper presents a cross-platform sentiment analysis of Twitter and YouTube data to examine customers’ attitudes on social media towards food delivery services in the Gulf region before and during COVID-19. Only minor sentiment changes occurred in both platforms and were related to many factors including delivery timeliness, food quality and food quantity. This study provides insights into the specific usefulness of each platform for businesses seeking to engage with users about services and satisfaction.

Keywords: COVID-19, Food delivery services, Gulf Region, Sentiment Analysis, Social Media