The big criticism of meal-kit companies is that while you don’t have to go to the store, you still have to cook. For those busy millennial families or people who tend to cram in everything they can, that’s a big hurdle.
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For business travelers expensing meal deliveries, Grubhub captured the highest share of all third-party providers, with Caviar nabbing the highest average rating with an impressive five stars—head and shoulders above next closest UberEats and Seamless.
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Kitchen United announced its next batch of cloud kitchens in an aggressive push for 15 open locations by the end of 2019. The California-based company has signed leases in San Francisco and Los Angeles, plus a second location in Chicago’s Fulton Market District. The company currently has operating facilities in Pasadena, California, and Chicago’s River North neighborhood. It had previously announced locations in Atlanta; Columbus, Ohio; Austin, Texas; and Scottsdale, Arizona. Each of the locations are near young, digital consumers, and the San Francisco space brings more restaurants to the […]
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The exclusive contract between McDonald’s and Uber Eats was the biggest deal in the U.S. delivery industry to date, but it’s currently being renegotiated in an effort to lower fees for individual deliveries, according to a report from Bloomberg. Leadership at Chicago-based McDonald’s, along with a contingent of the brand’s franchisees, reportedly met with Uber Eats and was able to agree upon “significantly reduced commission rates for all U.S. restaurants.” The story noted that details of the revised contract are still being finalized, but added that the final result could […]
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Just a few weeks into a test of delivery for Wetzel’s Pretzels, new CEO Jennifer Schuler counts two surprises, in a good way. “We all know the average ticket for delivery is higher; ours has been significantly higher,” with the number of items per invoice about 75 percent higher than in the restaurants, she says. It’s unclear in these early days exactly why. “Are they ordering for parties? Are they ordering for work events?” For 25 years a mall-based concept, Wetzel’s ongoing test at Kitchen United’s first virtual kitchen in […]
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Toyota, SoftBank and auto supplier Denso announced a $1 billion investment in Uber’s Advanced Technology Group to accelerate development and commercialization of the tech giant’s automated ridesharing services. Under the terms of the agreement, Toyota and DENSO will jointly invest $667 million and SVF will invest $333 million, valuing the new Uber ATG entity at $7.25 billion. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said the development of this automated driving technology “will transform transportation as we know it, making our streets safer and our cities more livable.” He added that the company’s […]
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According to a new report from customer experience and brand research firm Service Management Group (SMG), awareness of delivery is growing while fast-food restaurants in particular are increasing delivery at three to five times faster than the fast-casual and casual-dining segments. Using SMG’s SurveyMini consumer research app that tracks behavioral data linked to real-time customer feedback, its report includes more than 20,000 respondents’ answers to what it calls “three big questions about the evolution of third-party delivery.” Findings showed that third-party delivery awareness, usage and frequency have increased across the […]
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Albertsons has reportedly laid off 10 percent of the staff at Plated, a national meal kit service the West Coast grocery giant purchased in 2017. According to the report, the layoffs impacted 25 of Plated’s employees. In a statement, Albertsons spokeswoman, Christine Wilcox, said the move was intended “to reduce expenses and better utilize the larger company’s operations structure.” After acquiring Plated, Albertsons began placing Plated meals in some of its stores. Based in Boise, Idaho, Albertsons has more than 2,300 food and drug stores in 35 states, including the […]
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Bite Squad, which was founded in Minneapolis and acquired by Louisiana-based Waitr, has added breakfast service for individual and small group orders in its home market. Breakfast will be delivered every day starting at 8 a.m. The expanding morning delivery services, launched on Tuesday, April 16, and it’s the second Bite Squad market in the country to offer this new option. “We see breakfast delivery as a considerable growth opportunity,” said Liz Sniegocki, a Bite Squad spokeswoman. “Following a successful beta in Gainesville earlier this month, we’re planning a phase […]
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Fresh off a healthy haul of $100 million in investor cash last fall and continued European expansion after acquiring GoCater, ezCater just landed another $150 million in fun money and acquired the Monkey Group, a Canadian software and training provider that’s the developer of Monkey, a cloud-based platform for takeout, delivery and catering. With a snazzy $1.25 billion valuation making waves, the Boston-based catering providers growth options have widened. After characterizing the company’s bank account as “quite lovely” last fall, ezCater Founder Stefania Mallett said in a phone interview that […]
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