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The Art of Delivering in the Skyways of Minneapolis

By Nancy Monroe | August 10, 2018

On any given day thousands of office workers spill out into the skyways in search of nourishment from one of the approximately 140 different dining options. So when iconic Hell’s Kitchen decided to part company with its third-party delivery provider, they continued with their plan to build custom carts to deliver catering orders via the skyways.

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The Ins and Outs of Bike Delivery Service and Trash Messenger Bag

By Nancy Monroe | August 10, 2018

Step aside robots and drones, homebound diners in Minneapolis are getting their food delivered via Rock-It. Or to be exact, a Rock-It Bicycle Delivery rider.

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Here’s How to Get Your Delivery Menu Noticed

By fodnews | August 10, 2018

Nobody does irreverent marketing better than Minneapolis-based Parasole Restaurant Holdings. And when a billboard goes up for the multi-concept restaurateur’s Chino Latino brand and he doesn’t get a few angry phone calls, “I don’t feel like I’m doing my job,” CEO Phil Roberts says.

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Bite Squad and DoorDash Add Cities; Postmates Builds Hub

By fodnews | August 10, 2018

Showing no slowdown from 2017 when it acquired 17 local restaurant delivery companies, Bite Squad added service to 100 U.S. cities with another 100 planned for the rest of the year. By the end of the year, the company expects to be in 400 cities across 22 states. Founder and CEO Kian Salehi said the company is targeting underserved areas Unlike other gig-economy deliver companies, Bite Squad drivers are internal, W-2 drivers (compared with 1099 gig economy drivers). The Minneapolis-based company says employing its 5,000 drivers allows for benefits like […]

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McAlister’s Deli, White Castle, Cowboy Chicken Expand Delivery

By fodnews | August 10, 2018

McAlister’s Deli is expanding the online catering platform it began back in April. By the end of 2018, the Atlanta-based fast-casual sandwich and soup concept will fully integrate its catering program into all of its 400+ locations. With convenience a top priority, McAlister’s added on-the-go ordering through the company app and curbside pickup, in-restaurant pick-up stations and additional pick-up windows to handle the added volume. So far, those additions are driving increased app sales, with 21 of 40 restaurants adding the feature now appearing in the top 25 percent of […]

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Food On Demand News Briefs – August 2018

By fodnews | August 10, 2018

School District Bans Food Deliveries; European Online Ordering In what seems to be the first ban of its kind, a Florida school district will likely ban food deliveries to students. According to Spectrum News, a local Florida TV news station, the district would add a provision that would ban all food deliveries. One principal in the district said it’s a safety issue. “The delivery people would just drive up, park right in front of the front door and you would see either the bag of food or the pizza,” Mitchell […]

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Discovering the Ideal Delivery Experience

By Tom Kaiser | August 10, 2018

I’m a city fanatic, but live in a first-ring suburb. My humble ’burb for the last two years is technically classified as an urban area, but just outside the grid-style neighborhoods of Minneapolis. Our delivery options have been lackluster, and has been the hardest adjustment moving 10 minutes away from our long-term, big-city neighborhood—but things are looking up.

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Grubhub Acquires Loyalty, Mobile-Ordering Company LevelUp

By Nicholas Upton | August 9, 2018

During a very rosy earnings call, Grubhub announced it would acquire LevelUp for $390 million. The loyalty, marketing and mobile payment company provides Grubhub with a lot of loyalty, CRM and marketing benefits. But at the core of the acquisition was LevelUp’s point of sale integration. “LevelUp is not a demand generator, but they have exceptional guest-facing technology,” said Grubhub CFO Adam DeWitt during the earnings call. “We are very excited to leverage the seamless point-of-sale integration LevelUp has built.” That’s a big shift away from other point of sale […]

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Report Says Delivery Growth Threatens Domino’s

By Tom Kaiser | July 20, 2018

Following the release of Domino’s Q2 financial results, an analyst at GlobalData said even amid 98 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth, Domino’s Pizza is at risk from the continued growth of third-party delivery services like Grubhub and Just Eat.

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UBS Lays Out Potential Food On Demand Futures

By Nicholas Upton | July 13, 2018

Wealth management and equity research firm UBS put out a thorough look at the food delivery world and its possible futures. The report, dubbed “Is The Kitchen Dead?” digs into the answers from more than 13,000 consumer surveys and detailed data analysis from apps and industry experts. Researchers estimate that global online food ordering will grow to $365 billion by 2030, growing 20 percent each year from the $35 billion market seen today. “Powering this are lower meal production costs, increased logistics scale and strong demographic trends,” wrote the researchers […]

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