Waitr, a Louisiana-based third-party delivery provider that focuses on smaller markets, has struggled mightily since acquiring Minnesota-based Bite Squad in January. In the seven months since that deal was big news in the delivery space, Waitr’s share price has cratered and Bite Squad shareholders who received approximately 10 million Waitr shares have seen a diminution of value of more than $100 million. With the benefit of hindsight, it looks as if businessman and TV personality Tilman Fertitta made a big mistake getting into the delivery business. Needless to say, the […]
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Predicting that the delivery world will suffer mightily from a growing shortage of drivers, California-based Udelv is researching, building and hiring to help commercialize autonomous automobile deliveries with a particular focus on groceries, retail goods and, eventually, prepared meals. We recently brought you the story of Udelv partnering with H-E-B, the largest grocer in Texas, which prompted a deeper dive with Adriel Lubarsky, Udelv’s director of business development, who previously ran a delivery company near North Carolina’s Research Triangle. He said the company’s delivery clients have included Walmart, Napa and […]
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Postmates is set to join Uber, Grubhub and Waitr in the public markets. According to TechCrunch, the company will file its S-1, the key document to register securities on the public markets next month. Available details are sparse, but the company has partnered with Bank of America and JP Morgan to act as lead underwriters to help sell the stock to investors. Postmates actually filed confidentially with the SEC back in February of this year, but the S-1 will provide a public view of the process for investors. According to […]
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After testing electric bicycle deliveries at company-owned stores in Houston, Miami and New York, Domino’s Pizza is giving its U.S. franchisees the option of using custom electric bicycles through a new partnership with Seattle-based Rad Power Bikes. Domino’s says electric bikes are often a better solution to the traffic congestion and parking hassles that are inherent with urban pizza delivery. “Those stores saw improvements in overall delivery and service,” said Tom Curtis, Domino’s executive vice president of corporate operations. “They also experienced labor benefits, as the stores were able to […]
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In a letter posted on its Learning Center site, Grubhub claims it has been on the receiving end of “misleading stories in the media” regarding driver tips and practices related to its restaurant contracts that have birthed a raft of negative news stories in recent weeks. The Chicago-based delivery provider strongly refuted several of the claims, but also responded with a three-point plan to address concerns about its business practices. Starting on a defensive foot, Grub says that its namesake brand and Seamless have “helped level the playing field for […]
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Ordermark, a delivery management developer, received another multi-million investment through an $18 million Series B that will be used to help the California-based firm accelerate its growth while laying the groundwork for new products, integrations and features for restaurants grappling with the dramatic rise of off-premises orders. A week after that news came word that Ordermark is also adding Omnivore’s direct point-of-sale integration to bolster its position among the growing herd of restaurant technology brands. “I knew this was a fast-paced industry and there would be a lot of change […]
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The company eatsa is making another pivot in its efforts to provide in-restaurant technology solutions to address the growing need for convenience and efficiency. The company, now known as Brightloom, is cozying up to Starbucks in a big way, bringing the core technology that has made the coffee giant a bleeding-edge leader in digital operations. It’s not the first pivot for the company, which began as a sort of new-age bowl concept built around automatic pick-up cubbies. Eatsa got out of restaurant operations in 2017, and morphed into a technology […]
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The worst thing about baseball concessions isn’t the quality or even the exorbitant prices, it’s hearing the crowd go crazy as your star hitter knocks a dinger into the bleachers while you’re waiting for a $12 Miller Lite. Well, Postmates has a plan to help. As outlined in a press release, the company will help fans walk a little less to get their stadium fare by placing pick-up stations around the park. Fans who order through the Postmates app can have their hot dog, beer or popcorn delivered to the […]
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With plenty of cash on hand and a fast-growing staff approaching 500 employees, Boston-based ezCater moved into a new headquarters within the city’s Financial District. Having taken 97,000 square feet in the Congress Square building, its new space is 50,000 square feet more than its previous pad. This will make room for 200 new employees as the global catering provider plans for as many as 750 in the years to come. The new workspace was designed to bolster the company’s culture, which it says is “rooted in transparency, fast and […]
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DoorDash, the leading U.S. third-party delivery provider by market share, has entered into an agreement with Square to buy its Caviar delivery brand for $410 million in cash and DoorDash preferred stock. This huge acquisition underscores DoorDash’s recent gains in market share and brings a new delivery platform under its umbrella with a generally positive reputation among restaurant operators.
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