Taming the Delivery, Expo Line Dragons with Cameras and AI
With algorithms determining the most efficient cooking order for line cooks and AI-enabled cameras that detect order accuracy right as meals come out of the oven or off the line, Dragontail Systems is helping some of the largest restaurants like Domino’s and Pizza Hut...
Novel Boat Delivery ‘Skipper’ Envisions Fleet of Delivery Boats
There’s a new delivery platform in town that’s doubling every day. BoatGrub is thriving in a very hyper local market: the two square miles between Lobster Cove, Wingaersheek Beach and the Annisquam Lighthouse. If you’re unfamiliar, that’s the Ipswitch Bay side of the...
Uber Launches New Features Including Priority Delivery
Uber unveiled a handful of new features in June designed to make the ordering experience better for consumers. The new features include restaurant rewards, an enhanced pick-up experience through the app and priority delivery. Priority delivery, no doubt, is the...
Light Shines on ‘Partnership’ in Yum Brands-Grubhub Lawsuit
A lawsuit between Yum Brands and Grubhub shows that delivery partnerships based on big enterprise contracts can be as contentious as those at an independent single unit. In short, Yum sued Grubhub after the delivery platform raised fees and pulled out of a contract...
Dark Grocery Expands, May Stick After COVID
Dark kitchens and virtual restaurants continue to expand across the country, but as the pendulum of food spending swings back toward grocery, a similar model is expanding rapidly there as well. While a dark grocery store sounds like nightmare fuel out of a zombie...
Starbucks Closing 400 Stores, Going All In on Off-Premises
Coffee juggernaut Starbucks is closing up to 400 of its North American stores over the next 18 months, while simultaneously accelerating plans to open around 300 new locations focused on carryout and pickup. Embedded within its latest 8-K filing with the Securities...
Swipeby Positions Automated Curbside Pickup as Virtual Drive-Thru
Curbside pickup can resemble a modern game of telephone or a cell phone commercial with both parties essentially saying, “I’m here, can you see me?” Like many brands springing up to assist restaurants with this now-crucial ordering channel, Swipeby is looking to take...
Pret a Manger Says Delivery Too Important to Ignore
Pret a Manger, the London-based convenience chain known for its upscale sandwiches and coffee, with a big presence along the U.S. East Coast and Chicago, is moving deeper into delivery due to high customer demand as the COVID-19 pandemic persists. After recently...
UPDATED: Uber Walks Away as Grubhub, Just Eat Takeaway.com Announce Deal
Uber’s rumored deal to acquire Grubhub is officially off the table, with news coming late Wednesday afternoon that Just Eat Takeaway.com has agreed to combine with Grubhub in an all-stock, $7.3 billion transaction that would create the world’s largest online food...
Outstanding Operators
Food On Demand Outstanding Operators features restaurant brands with innovative operations that are taking creative paths to success with delivery and all things off-premises.