latest posts

DoorDash Grabs Majority of Surging Convenience Market

By Tom Kaiser | February 11, 2021

DoorDash is leading the online convenience category by a country mile, according to new transaction data analyzed by Edison Trends. After 2020, in which consumer spending at online C-stores grew by 346 percent, DoorDash ended last month with 58 percent share over second-place goPuff with 24 percent of the market.

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DoorDash Provides Discounted Rapid Tests to Independent Merchants

By Tom Kaiser | February 11, 2021

As a grim but practical sign of the times, DoorDash has partnered with Cellex to make discounted COVID testing available for partnered independent restaurants with three locations or fewer. This new program is a direct result of feedback the company gathered through its Restaurant Advisory Council.

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Sharebite’s Charitable Focus Targets Workplace Meals

By Tom Kaiser | February 4, 2021

With old-school catering still sidelined and facing an uncertain future due to the pandemic, the workplace meal-delivery scene is heating up with New York-based Sharebite, which recently inked some high-profile corporate partnerships for its lunchtime delivery service that puts a big focus on charitable giving.

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Ghost Bar Slinging Cocktails Virtually

By Nicholas Upton | February 3, 2021

One of the best things about going out for both consumers and restaurants is a perfectly crafted cocktail. With all the syrups, bitters, juices and expert balance, they’re almost invariably better than one can make at home and carry a great profit margin for the business. Of course, since COVID hit, there are a lot fewer people buying those cocktails because they are either prevented through regulations, as in New York, or just unaccustomed to delivered cocktails.  Amelie Kang saw that as an opportunity to do two things, help a […]

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Would Uber Let DoorDash Hog Super Bowl Spotlight? ‘Sha Right!’

By Nicholas Upton | February 3, 2021

Uber announced it would be advertising at the biggest television event of the year, just like DoorDash, and pulling on some nostalgic heartstrings. The company announced it bought an ad spot in which Wayne’s World stars Mike Meyers and Dana Carvey embark on a mission to support local restaurants. The ad highlights Uber’s new, $20 million program to support independent restaurants over the next six months. The program includes $4.5 million in micro grants to restaurants in major metro areas, in-app donation options with Uber matching and other support initiatives […]

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The Economics of Virtual Restaurants

By Tom Kaiser | February 3, 2021

If you believe the hype, virtual restaurants are a savior for restaurants struggling to turn a profit or monetize excess kitchen capacity. For operators now buying into virtual concepts, 2021 is the year the industry will learn whether the promises of no hard costs and incremental revenue will pan out or fall flat. 

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Uber to Acquire Alcohol Delivery Brand Drizly

By Tom Kaiser | February 2, 2021

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wasn’t kidding when he said ride-sharing will be a comparatively smaller part of the company’s future. It’s bringing alcohol delivery into the fold with the announcement of an agreement to acquire Drizly for approximately $1.1 billion in stock and cash.

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Bbot Raises $7.3M on Path to be ‘Stripe for Restaurants’

By Nicholas Upton | January 28, 2021

Bbot aims to be a key part of the restaurant technology ecosystem by providing a lot of tools to speed up development across the broader restaurant technology space. After a new $4 million seed round the company is working toward that goal with a total of $7.3 million in funding. Like a lot of this kind of technology, it’s hard for the non-tech entrepreneur to understand. Basically, cofounder and CEO Steve Simoni said it solves a lot of ubiquitous issues in restaurant technology by bundling a few tools together under […]

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American Airlines Now Delivers Wine

By Nicholas Upton | January 28, 2021

If you’re missing travel amid the pandemic and are especially hankering for that “vin de premium economy” experience, you are in luck. Move your chairs together, break out your noise-canceling headphones and get your plastic cup ready, American Airlines wine has landed in your living room. Under the brand Flagship Sellers, the airline is offering wines by the bottle, curated cases or via subscription for just $99.99 a month. For mileage hawks, the wine program will get you two miles for every dollar spent on Flagship wine. It’s almost like […]

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In All Fairness, Foodsby Revamps Fees for Restaurant Partners

By Tom Kaiser | January 27, 2021

Foodsby has reformatted its commission structure with an eye on fairness—both for its restaurant partners and its own bottom line. After dropping commissions to 3.5 percent during the early days of COVID, the workplace-focused meal provider is going public with its reinvention in hopes of attracting restaurants put off by the high fees of third-party delivery and catering marketplaces.

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