After hiring an advisor and considering a sale of the company back in January, Grubhub, the second-largest U.S. restaurant delivery provider, is said to be in talks with Uber, which has reportedly offered to acquire the Chicago-based company in an all-stock transaction. If the transaction goes through, the combined entity would be the largest food delivery player in the United States. Originally reported by The Wall Street Journal, its report said Uber first approached Grubhub in February “with an all-stock takeover offer, and the companies have been in talks since […]
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Mercatus, a digital engagement provider that builds mobile apps and websites for grocery retailers, says the near-instant move to curbside and delivery at grocery stores has created major challenges for the industry that mirror the restaurant delivery space: limited staffing, a strained supply chain and tension between stores and national delivery providers like Instacart that are straining under the stress of a newly digitized grocery business. Mercatus President and CEO Sylvain Perrier said it’s “reasonable to think” that a portion of independent grocers could be forced to close, whether that’s […]
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ChowNow, one of several companies helping restaurants generate and fulfill their own in-house delivery orders, has rolled out a loyalty membership program that it says can help independent restaurants remain profitable as takeout and delivery remains the mainstay of the dining scene as state- and city-wide lockdowns persist. With its new loyalty program, ChowNow is giving restaurants tools similar to those employed by the large, successful restaurant brands that incentivize loyalty guests to increase frequency and overall spend through personalized mobile apps. At the top end of the food chain, […]
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Ono Foods Co., the “full-stack food automation platform,” has signed on an industry heavy hitter to help drive new automated restaurant solutions. The company announced that Derek Pietz has joined as vice president of automation. While he might not be a household name, Pietz was formerly the head of automation at Sweetgreen, leading the digitally focused company’s automation efforts. Before that, he founded an engineering firm that helped companies including Tesla, SpaceX and Apple, automate industrial processes. He also helped out with viral foodservice company, Café X. Pietz said Ono’s […]
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New market share data gives a little insight into who’s winning during the global COVID-19 pandemic. It may come as no surprise that U.S. delivery leader DoorDash is, so far, coming out on top. In a new look at more than 190,000 transactions through April, Edison Trends showed off the recent market share snapshot. In essence, the trends continued a lot like they were before (as seen in May of 2019 and in February of 2020), perhaps magnified slightly by the pandemic. As more people tried delivery for the first […]
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Less than nine months after appointing former Arby’s President Rob Lynch as its new president and CEO, Papa John’s posted system-wide sales growth of 5.3 percent during the first quarter of 2020, the brand’s best results since company founder John Schnatter resigned as CEO in late 2017. Getting more granular about its results amid the pandemic, Papa John’s broke down its comparable sales results over four periods: Dec. 30, 2019 to Jan. 26, 2020; Jan. 27 to Feb. 23; Feb. 24 to March 29; and March 30 through April 26. […]
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A delivery-focused upstart out of New York City claims it has cracked the code to get restaurants the details of who is ordering their food via third-party delivery services, and it’s building a business on helping restaurants market directly to Grubhub, DoorDash, Uber Eats and Postmates customers who order through those popular apps. The company, Bikky, aims to improve the economics for the restaurant industry at a time when there are no financial squares to spare. CEO Abhinav Kapur founded Bikky in 2017 after years of working on Wall Street […]
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As cracks emerge in the global food supply chain, an upstart called Pepper Pantry is giving at-home consumers the ability to order produce, meat, seafood and dry goods directly from smaller, family-run restaurant supply companies. Launched in New York City just before the COVID-19 pandemic and led by a small team with deep ties to Uber Eats, the new service is expanding quickly while spreading awareness that independent suppliers are hurting just like restaurants. The promise of Pepper Pantry is certainly appealing during this time of zombie-apocalypse grocery shopping, sold […]
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Toast, a provider of hardware and software for point-of-sale transactions, has rolled out a new flat-fee delivery platform that allows restaurants to set up their own online ordering channels, including curbside takeout, electronic gift cards and contactless delivery. The company also is launching Toast Delivery Services, which allows restaurants to deliver directly to consumers with a flat fee, compared with the commission-based charges common with third-party delivery providers. In a press release announcing the new service, Toast estimates that restaurants processing $5,000 in delivery orders a month can save as […]
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As the pandemic limits mobility and options for survivors of domestic violence across the globe, Uber has partnered with domestic violence organizations and local governments to provide free rides to shelters and delivered meals in 35 cities across 16 countries. “With experts reporting a surge in domestic violence globally in the last few weeks, many shelters and service providers are seeking urgent assistance,” said Tracey Breeden, head of women’s safety and gender-based violence programs at Uber. “We want to do our part to help survivors access life-saving services and find […]
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