Grab takes Singapore’s ‘chope’ culture to the next level with restaurant stunt

Last week, two TikTok users stumbled upon a bizarre sight at local restaurants — one that left both diners and delivery riders scratching their heads.

In one video, a Grab delivery rider is seen entering a restaurant to pick up an order when he notices three individuals seated at a table, each wearing identical green T-shirts emblazoned with the word “Reserved.” The sight clearly confuses him. He steps back out to his bike, mulling over what he just saw. In a humorous narration, he wonders if the trio is there to “reserve tables for a soccer team,” joking that in true Singaporean fashion, they could have just used a pack of tissue to mark their spot instead.

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In another video, a TikTok user at Duxton Road claimed to have been observing three similar “Reserved” shirt-wearers for over an hour. According to him, the trio sat motionless at separate tables across from him — no drinks, no food, no blinking. “Stone cold,” he described. Driven by curiosity, he decided to approach one of them and asked if she was waiting for someone. The woman, however, ignored him completely. He then tried his luck with another person, only to be met with the same eerie silence. Baffled, the user concluded that he must have stumbled upon a “social experiment.”

As it turns out, he wasn’t too far off. The mysterious figures in “Reserved” shirts were actually part of a cheeky guerrilla stunt by Grab Singapore.

In a follow-up Instagram video posted by Grab, one of the “Reserved” individuals is seen being “interviewed” about her unusual occupation. With a straight face, she introduces herself as a professional table choper — someone whose job is to “chope” (reserve) tables for others.

Through the skit, Grab revealed the real message behind the stunt: the promotion of its ‘Grab Dine Out’ feature, which allows users to reserve tables directly through the Grab app. Those who do so will receive 1,000 GrabRewards points, equivalent to S$2 in app credits.

The lighthearted activation quickly caught the attention of netizens amused by the brand’s tongue-in-cheek take on Singapore’s unique “chope” culture.

MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Grab Singapore for more information.

Such stunts are becoming more and more popular in recent months. Last month, videos of a mysterious purple orb in Tampines, Pasir Ris, and Yishun swept across social media, stirring theories of a phenomena known as 'lightning ball'. Not long after, multi-currency mobile wallet YouTrip came out to claim that the eerie videos were part of a campaign stunt in celebration of its birthday and to reveal its new mascot Trippie. 

Similarly, a three-part cheating scandal video series had TikTok users on the edge of their seats. In the videos, a woman is seen confronting her husband for cheating on her. It was later revealed that the videos were part of a stunt promoting Lazada's 9.9 mega brands sale. 

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