Amazon has quietly shut down U.K. restaurant delivery, emailing customers that the service would end after just two years. Why would Amazon do this? While some look at this development as the beginning of the end of a big shakeout or portends some third-party slowdown. It’s probably not. First, as other third-party delivery providers have shown, this industry is a lot of work for penny profits and requires massive scale and major marketing to be profitable at all. Amazon seems to show no fear when it comes to growing into […]
Wing, the drone arm of Alphabet, is heading to Helsinki next year. Wing has become a proper company or “graduated” within the company, meaning it’s no longer just a moonshot. And this test implies the technology is ready for prime time. The Helsinki test will be a major proving ground for Wing and aerial drones in general. A major part of the test will be Helsinki’s 560,000 people wandering beneath as Wing delivers packages up to 3.3-pound just over six miles. Google/Alphabet has done other tests before in the U.S., […]
If you’re like me, those Blue Apron and HelloFresh commercials with fancy produce flying around, symmetrical smiles and bustling dining rooms full of friends confuse me on several levels. I can never wrap my head around non-cooks who like to cook, but it’s a thing—and a growing one according to recent industry research from Packaged Facts, which is a research firm focused on consumer goods and service industries.
Many restaurant and delivery analysts have suggested Wingstop is among the brands with the most to gain through third-party delivery. After this week’s announcement that the fast-casual wings brand is partnering with DoorDash for delivery, it’s time to see if there’s as much demand for at-home chicken wings as the experts have predicted.
If you’re anything like me, you would much rather chow down on a gooey pizza from the comfort of your home. It’s time for the largest franchised pizza chains to try something new and capitalize on recent shifts in the so-called convenience economy.
A quickly evolving food on demand landscape means delivery services and restaurants alike are grappling with challenges of technology integration, consumer preferences and shifts in how people eat. While there are a seemingly dizzying number of elements to consider, the brands and companies that ultimately win will be those able to define, understand and appeal to their target customer—and avoid distraction along the way.
Five-plus years into the sea change that is third-party delivery, restaurant operators continue to debate the merits, challenges and potential profits that result from handing over some crucial parts of the business, from guest contact, upholding the brand and a lack of shared customer data.
Dining out is about to get a little quicker and easier with new table-side payment terminals from Square, the Wall Street delivery darling and parent company of Caviar and Zesty. Bringing two of Square’s newest products together, this update integrates Square for Restaurants with Square Terminal for an integrated handheld option that enables restaurants to turn tables faster and accept mobile payments. “We’re extending the functionality of Square for Restaurants by integrating it with Square’s newest hardware,” said Alyssa Henry, seller lead at Square. “Restaurants using Square Terminal will be […]
The dog’s menu at Stanley’s NE Restaurant and Bar in Minneapolis started as a fun way to reward dogs who accompanied their masters to happy hour on the patio and ended up on Bite Squad’s delivery route.
On the heels of a $10 million funding round led by GV, virtual restaurant provider Kitchen United is opening its second shared kitchen, this one in Chicago’s River North neighborhood. Its restaurant partners, who use the kitchen space to launch or expand off-premises dining and delivery, will move in mid-December and open their concepts to consumers in January. Kitchen United’s kitchen centers are facilities that can house 10 to 20 restaurants with commercial kitchens optimized specifically for the catering, delivery and takeout marketplace. The company creates turnkey solutions for restaurants and positions […]
