See Ya Later, Seamless
I’ll never forget my first third-party delivery order, a box of sushi and noodles delivered by Seamless while staying at a hotel in Chelsea. I was exhausted after a day at the Javits Center and wandering around Manhattan after the convention. The soup was lukewarm and so was the sushi, but it was fast. At that moment, I was living on life’s sharpest edge. During the next full moon, I’ll bury this memory in a time capsule following word that Just Eat Takeaway will dispense with the Seamless brand as it asserts control over the Grubhub empire.
As a rule of journalism, but not the American judicial system, corporations are not people. Thus, I will not mourn this loss. Seamless was never a player in the Twin Cities market, where Food On Demand is based, but it was the first major delivery service to become a verb before Postmates pulled this off on the West Coast.
JET also announced Grub will focus on growing in major metro areas like New York and Chicago, presumably at the expense of lower-volume, less urban areas. Expect to see other delivery providers making similar moves on their collective quests for profitability.
In the meantime, I’ll be rooting for the likes of EatStreet and Waitr so this industry doesn’t go back to its salad days of only serving big cities and their surrounding ‘burbs. While most regional delivery services have been rolled up into larger competitors, it would be great to see smaller players make a buck while serving smaller markets.
— Tom Kaiser, Editor
tkaiser@foodondemandnews.com
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The ROI of Experience Management Technology
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From full- service to fine dining, forward-thinking companies are looking at the ‘invisible’ indicators of operational success by capturing guest sentiment throughout the customer journey, and analyzing performance with experience management technology to influence NPS, CSAT, and digital review sites.
In this white paper, you will uncover:
• The state of experience management today, and how brands are driving innovation, engagement, and profitability.
• The value of harnessing the voice of your guests to improve performance.
• How brands are increasing their NPS and solidifying their success for 2021 and beyond.
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DoorDash Kitchens Full Service Lets Restaurants Outsource Everything
DoorDash is going bigger with ghost kitchens as it introduces DoorDash Kitchens Full Service, a new model allowing restaurants to license their brands and outsource many of the tasks associated with opening a new location, including hiring, meal preparation and ingredient sourcing. Read more.
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Qu’s Streamlined POS Attracts Genghis Grill Partnership
Ali Hudda, CEO of point-of-sale tech company Qu and recently inked partner of Mongolian Concepts’ virtual brand Stir Fry Chef, knows POS technology and lacks little confidence. Hudda sees POS not just as a piece of technology—a screen with a credit card swiper—but as a series of actions, carried out by people, paid for by technology. Read more.
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Delivery Hero Begins Sustainable Packaging Initiative
Delivery Hero, the German-based local delivery platform, has partnered with sustainable packaging manufacturer Eco-Products to provide restaurants with Earth-friendly packaging to reduce plastic waste and carbon emissions. Read more.
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Goodcents To-Go Meals Stick post Pandemic
Goodcents, known mostly as a fast-casual sub shop, kicked off Goodcents To-Go early in 2020. The brand had tested a to-go meal program back in 2017, but it didn’t stick around. The pandemic served as a great reason to relaunch the program, especially with scores of restaurants closed. Read more.
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Uber Partners with FTD for Flowers on Demand
With all the buzz around meals, booze and groceries, one might forget flowers were one of the original on-demand products. With a new partnership between Uber and FTD, customers in many of the largest U.S. cities will now be able to order delivered floral arrangements through the Uber and Uber Eats apps. Read more.
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Episode 17: Summer of 2021 Delivery Trends +
Rishi Nigam of Franklin Junction
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In the 17th episode of the Food On Demand Podcast, hosts Tom and Nick talk with Rishi Nigam (right), co-founder and CEO of Franklin Junction, which pioneered the host kitchen model bringing outside brands into under-utilized kitchens. They also cover Just Eat Takeaway finalizing its purchase of Grubhub, the rise of instant grocery delivery, Snackpass landing a big-dollar investment and delivery volumes remaining stable as we move into the peak of summer.
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Bringing together the largest collection of off-premises professionals in the industry, the Food On Demand Conference is truly a can’t-miss event—especially after a year of massive growth and change in the restaurant and foodservice markets. We invite you to join us for one of the most important events of the year.
A couple of weeks ago we announced three of the sessions that we will be hosting at this year's event. Here are a few more that we are excited to be hosting, with three days of content to be announced soon:
• Capitalizing on the Newly Digitized Customer
• The Future of QSR & Fast-Casual Store Design
• Integrating, Refining Your Restaurant's Tech Stack
• Delivery Diversification: Grocery, Retail & Convenience
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