Waitr adds chief technology officer as it expands into new verticals

Timothy Newton previously worked as vice president of global technology operations at Papa John's, and appears to be Waitr's first CTO.

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 19, 2022

Delivery firms are offering more flexibility to retain partners. Will it work?

Major aggregators are rolling out white labels, subscription programs and new data tools to keep partner restaurants and delivery customers as more diners order from operators directly. 

By Julie Littman • Jan. 19, 2022

Instacart launches Ready Meals Hub

Like Instacart's convenience delivery offering, Ready Meals adds another service that addresses cross-channel challengers — in this case, restaurants.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Jan. 14, 2022

Reef signs expansion deal with Denny's amid closure of 95 units

Reef considers these units, which temporarily shuttered on Jan. 7, to be "underperforming," Business Insider reports. The company said these units are being revamped to service partner brands. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Updated Jan. 13, 2022

Sustained delivery profitability may hinge on business beyond restaurants

While eateries remain their core businesses, third-party aggregators are adding new verticals, like retail and grocery, and services to diversify.

By Julie Littman • Jan. 12, 2022

Waitr will rebrand to ASAP, cannabis will be a key focus

The platform's non-restaurant delivery verticals will help it compete against major rivals, CEO Carl Grimstad said at the ICR 2022 Conference Tuesday.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 12, 2022

Dickey's opens its fourth virtual brand, Trailer Birds Hot Chicken

The chain entered the virtual space with Wing Boss in April 2021 and followed up with the launch of Big Deal Burger and Barbecue at Home.

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 11, 2022

Flytrex drones can fly over people, vehicles with new FAA approval

The approval will allow Flytrex, which tested drone delivery with El Pollo Loco last year, to carry small goods to up to 10,000 households in North Carolina. 

By Max Garland • Jan. 7, 2022

Waitr partners with Virtual Dining Concepts

The third-party delivery firm could soon offer brands like MrBeast Burger, Mariah's Cookies and Barstool Bites on its app, and will allow restaurant partners to add VDC's virtual brands to their operations. 

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 5, 2022

7 restaurant trends that will define 2022

Restaurants will trim their menus, phase out cumbersome curbside pickup channels and invest in automation as operators balance labor pressure with off-premise demand, analysts say. 

By Emma Liem Beckett , Julie Littman , Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 4, 2022

Waitr plans to acquire a cannabis dispensary POS company for $90M

The delivery company expects transactions on Cova's platform to reach approximately $2.3 billion. 

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 20, 2021

Reef loses David Chang's Fuku to Kitchen United as reports of food safety issues grow

The pivot may give Fuku more quality control, as Kitchen United makes restaurants responsible for preparing their food at rented kitchens. Reef, by contrast, handles the kitchen operations for its licensed brands.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Dec. 17, 2021

Uber Eats to offer autonomous food delivery in 2022

Uber's partnership with Motional, which will launch in Santa Monica, California, could provide access to more affordable and convenient restaurant deliveries. 

By Julie Littman • Dec. 16, 2021

Chipotle to open first digital-only Chipotlane restaurant

The format, which will open in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, later this month, will not have a dining room or front line access as customers pick up food through a Chipotlane or walk-up window.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 16, 2021

Lyft, Olo partner to offer restaurant delivery

The ride-sharing provider enters a very crowded and competitive segment, but won't be building a marketplace, which could result in lower commissions.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 14, 2021

Grubhub sues NYC over restaurant data-sharing law

The delivery firm alleges the city's requirements for delivery companies to share data with restaurants are unconstitutional and present a security risk.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Dec. 13, 2021

Denny's enters 'The Matrix' and serves up free mobile delivery

As part of a promotion for the upcoming film "The Matrix Resurrections," the restaurant chain is delivering deals as "glitches" via digital wallets.

By Chris Kelly • Dec. 10, 2021

DoorDash plans to offer rapid delivery for retailers

To enable its entrance into the 15-minute delivery fray in New York City, the company has created DashCorps to employ full-time couriers. 

By Jeff Wells • Dec. 6, 2021

Serve Robotics closes $13M funding round

The autonomous delivery robot company's latest investment is backed by Uber, DX Ventures and 7-Eleven's corporate venture arm 7-Ventures LLC. 

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 6, 2021

Grubhub teams with Deliverect, integrates delivery orders into POS systems

More than 12,000 restaurants will be able to receive Grubhub orders through their point-of-sale systems, enabling operators to sync and manage menus directly.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 22, 2021

Uber's new membership bundles rides, delivery services

Uber One offers 5% off some rides and delivery orders and an unlimited $0 delivery fee on $15-plus food orders, along with other perks, for $9.99 a month or $99.99 annually. 

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 18, 2021

Kitchen United helped pioneer ghost kitchens. Here's what's next.

The innovative operator is entering new markets, expanding its warehouse-like network and adding partnerships with retailers, all based on low-capital outlay for brands. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Nov. 17, 2021

McDonald's makes new white label deals with DoorDash, Uber Eats

The chain, which gleans over 20% of sales in its top six markets from digital channels, announced new global partnerships with the aggregators on Monday.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 16, 2021

Why C3 is betting on virtual brands inspired by online influencers

The food tech platform has created an innovation hub to develop delivery-only brands with digital content creators and reach lucrative younger audiences.

By Julie Littman • Nov. 11, 2021

DoorDash, Grubhub add self-delivery flexibility

The delivery giants aim to increase labor flexibility and expand delivery reach by allowing operators to tap into their courier networks.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 11, 2021