Grubhub moves into dine-in, betting on restaurant traffic and rewards

The new weekly program gives diners Grubhub credit for eating at participating restaurants, including beta debuts in New York City and Chicago with Tacombi, Dos Toros, Chopt and other fast-casual brands.

Grubhub is moving beyond delivery, launching a beta of The Drop, its first dine-in experience, which rewards diners with Grubhub credit when they claim an offer, eat at a participating restaurant and pay with a linked card.

“The Drop extends Grubhub’s role in helping diners discover and enjoy great restaurants beyond delivery and into dining out,” Grubhub CEO Howard Migdal told FastCasual.com.

How it works

Every Thursday, The Drop will give diners up to three personalized offers built around neighborhood favorites, cult classics and “the spots everyone’s talking about.” Diners claim one, dine out and earn Grubhub credit for future orders.

Diners link an eligible payment card, and credit posts automatically after a qualifying purchase. No receipts, promo codes or manual redemption are required.

“It’s designed to become a weekly ritual for diners, with personalized offers refreshed each week,” Migdal said. “Rather than a one-time transaction, it’s meant to become a habit.”

Participating restaurants in the beta include Tacombi, Juice Generation, Chopt Creative Salad Co., DIG, Dos Toros, Momoya, 7th Street Burger and Pokeworks, with more to come.

The initial beta group will receive weekly offers for several weeks before The Drop rolls out to all diners in both markets, which Grubhub plans to do later in October. Additional cities will follow.

“The Drop is designed to be an ongoing program, not a limited-time promotion,” Migdal said. “This phased approach allows us to refine the experience, build momentum, and help diners make The Drop part of their regular routine.”

First product from Claim

The Drop is the first consumer-facing product to emerge from Grubhub’s acquisition of Claim, bringing Claim’s card-linked rewards technology into the Grubhub app.

The company said the program is a significant expansion of its marketplace strategy, connecting dining out with ordering in. By engaging diners whether they are eating out, ordering delivery or shopping for groceries, Grubhub said, The Drop strengthens a “flywheel of discovery, engagement, and repeat usage.”

Pay-for-performance pitch

For restaurants, the pitch centers on limiting risk.

“There’s no upfront cost or platform fees. Restaurants only pay when a diner actually walks in and spends,” Migdal said.

Because the program is card-linked, every visit is verified at the register.

“A restaurant is never billed for budget that didn’t turn into a guest,” he said.

Migdal called The Drop Grubhub’s “first product where restaurant spend is tied directly to someone eating in person.” It sits alongside the company’s other marketing tools.

Asked what percentage of each sale Grubhub takes, Migdal said, “We don’t share the specific commercial details of our restaurant partnerships.”

Restaurants set their own offers, though Grubhub recommends a reward tier for each concept. A coffee shop might offer $5, a fast-casual restaurant $8 and a full-service restaurant $20 or more.

“There isn’t a one-size-fits-all offer,” Migdal said. “The only rule is that it has to feel like a real reward, not a coupon. That’s what gets someone off the couch and in person.”

Not a Groupon

When asked about comparisons to Groupon, Migdal pointed to personalization. Grubhub uses card-linking and customer insights to match offers with diners based on where they already spend and the kinds of restaurants they frequent.

“That means restaurants aren’t simply broadcasting offers to a broad audience,” he said.

Migdal described The Drop for restaurants as “a measurable way to reach highly engaged diners, drive incremental visits and encourage repeat business, with insights into offer performance.”

Any eligible restaurant partner in participating markets can join, Grubhub said. The company said success will mean diners returning regularly to try new places and use their rewards, and restaurants gaining new guests and repeat visits.

What’s next for fast casual? Connect with industry leaders at the Fast Casual Executive Summitin Arlington, Texas, Oct. 4-6, and hear from Clay Dover and Shauna K. Smith of Savory Fund. Bring home fresh ideas and valuable new connections. Reserve your spot.

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Uber Eats to buy ezCater for $2.3B

The catering platform will expand Uber Eats’ large order business, which has become a significant opportunity in recent quarters.

Dive Brief:

  • Uber Eats has entered into an agreement to acquire ezCater in an all-cash transaction worth $2.3 billion, the companies said in a joint press release.
  • The transaction is expected to close within the next few months. 
  • The deal will combine ezCater’s catering and business-to-business expertise with Uber Eats’ global reach with consumers and restaurants, expanding ezCater’s presence to millions of more customers.

Dive Insight:

EzCater currently partners with over 140,000 restaurants and generated over $2.5 billion in gross bookings over the trailing 12 months, according to the company, and it has grown in the high teens year over year. The business is profitable on a non-GAAP operating income basis and is expected to be “margin accretive,” the press release said. 

By adding catering to Uber Eats, restaurants will have access to a channel to grow large orders and add new diners, per the release. It will also add more options for customers looking into catering for various workplace and social gatherings and create additional opportunities for Uber Eats couriers to gain more revenue. 

The press release didn’t say how ezCater will be integrated into Uber Eats’ platform or if the two entities will remain separate businesses. The companies declined to comment beyond what is in the press release. 

This acquisition is also in line with Uber Eats’ expansion of the occasions it serves through delivery. During the second quarter, the company’s large order and pickup channels, which “present a massive addressable opportunity,” reported strong growth, allowing Uber to expand delivery beyond individual meals, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, said in an earnings report. 

Catering has become an important growth driver for many restaurants, particularly as it is highly profitable. Average order values for ezCater are over $400. Various chains, including Denny’s, Del Taco, Sweetgreen and Five Guys, have added or expanded catering this year.

Adding catering will also make Uber Eats more competitive against DoorDash, which has also been expanding its business through acquisitions. In September, DoorDash said it would acquire Grubhub’s college campus business for $300 million. Last year, it acquired SevenRooms for over $1 billion and has since added dine-in and reservation management services to its platform.

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Uber bets $2.3 billion on ezCater to narrow gap with DoorDash

  • EzCater generated more than $2.5 billion in gross bookings over last 12 months
  • Uber says ezCater average order values exceed $400
  • Purchase targets corporate events, meetings and workplace meal ​orders

Oct 6 (Reuters) – Uber Technologies (UBER.N), opens new tab ‌said on Tuesday it would buy US catering platform ezCater in an all-cash deal for $2.3 billion, its latest move to strengthen delivery, the company’s fastest-growing business segment.

The deal comes months ​after Uber agreed in July to buy German firm Delivery Hero in ​a $14.8 billion transaction aimed at creating the largest food delivery ⁠group outside China.

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Founded in 2007, ezCater lets companies order food from caterers for ​corporate events, meetings and workplace meals. It generated more than $2.5 billion in gross bookings ​over the past 12 months, Uber said.

The deal would combine ezCater’s catering business with Uber Eats’ restaurant network and Uber for Business’ corporate customer base, the company said.

Uber Eats ​has a wider global reach, but DoorDash holds the majority of the US ​food delivery market, according to analysts, and the ezCater deal is expected to help Uber ‌narrow ⁠that gap.

Uber said ezCater’s average order values exceed $400 and the deal is expected to boost margins.

The acquisition adds a new line of business built on high-value group orders paid for by companies, expanding Uber’s business-focused segment, whose gross ​bookings grew more than ​40% in the ⁠second quarter, Rosenblatt analyst Scott Devitt said.

“Importantly, bringing workplace buyers into the ecosystem supports the membership flywheel,” Devitt said.

The ​ride-hailing and delivery company’s shares have fallen 15% this year ​as investors ⁠weigh how well it can compete once robotaxis begin to reshape the ride-hailing market.

Uber’s delivery segment accounted for about 37% of total revenue in the second ⁠quarter and ​has been its biggest growth driver in ​the recent past.

The deal is subject to regulatory approval and is expected to close in the coming ​months.

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DoorDash Moves into POS Tech: A Strategic Threat to Payment Giants

Nikodem Gabler•May 13, 2026•3 min read

DoorDash is preparing to launch its own point-of-sale technology, moving beyond delivery into the heart of restaurant operations. This strategic expansion directly challenges payment firms like Toast and signals a major shift in how delivery platforms control the merchant ecosystem.

The news comes as market analysts downgrade major payment processors, citing DoorDash’s potential to capture up to 20% of the U.S. restaurant market by 2035. For years, DoorDash has focused on the logistics of getting food from point A to point B. However, recent moves, including the $1.2 billion acquisition of reservation platform SevenRooms and the launch of smart kitchen hardware, show a clear intent to own the entire restaurant operating system. By moving into the Point-of-Sale (POS) space, DoorDash is no longer just a partner for delivery, it is becoming the primary software provider for the physical storefront.

This shift matters because it changes who owns the merchant data. When a restaurant uses a third-party payment processor, the delivery platform only sees the orders that go through its app. If DoorDash becomes the POS provider, it gains visibility into every transaction, whether it is for dine-in, carry-out, or delivery. This deep integration makes the platform \”sticky,\” meaning it becomes much harder for a restaurant to switch to a competitor. For traditional payment firms, this represents a significant threat to their win rates and long-term merchant retention.

Understanding the speed of this disruption requires more than just reading stock reports. While analysts use hiring activity and merchant feedback to guess at DoorDash’s progress, data intelligence offers a more precise view. To stay ahead, competitors and partners must track exactly where these new technologies are being deployed at a local level. Manual tracking is no longer sufficient when a platform can scale across thousands of locations in a single quarter.

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DoorDash Expands Workplace Catering with New Group Ordering

by Bernadette Heier | Apr 30, 2026 | News Briefs

DoorDash for Business is adding new catering and group ordering features aimed at workplace meals as companies look for easier ways to coordinate food for in-office teams.

The delivery company introduced a set of offerings that includes Meal Manager for recurring team meals and tray-style catering for meetings and events. Both are designed to run through a single platform, focusing on reducing the coordination work often handled by office administrators.

The move comes as larger group orders continue to grow faster than standard delivery. According to an April 30 press release, DoorDash increased team-sized orders 30 percent year over year, reflecting demand tied to return-to-office efforts and in-person collaboration.

“There’s something about a great meal that gets people off their screens and actually talking to each other,” Katie Egan, general manager of DoorDash for Business, said in a statement. “As companies double down on bringing people back together, food has become one of the most powerful drivers of connection in the office. We built Meal Manager and catering to make in-person connections happen as often as possible — without making it an admin’s full-time job.”

Meal Manager is built for recurring office meals, allowing employees to select individual orders while coordinating delivery as a single group. The system creates a weekly schedule with a set of restaurant options and prompts employees to order in advance. DoorDash manages logistics, including delivery timing, labeling and setup.

DoorDash is also expanding into traditional catering for meetings and events. The offering includes tray-style menus from local restaurants and national brands, with orders managed by catering specialists and scheduled up to 14 days in advance. Optional on-site coordination is available for larger events.

“Before DoorDash for Business, I was spending nearly a full day each week sourcing restaurants, coordinating with caterers and confirming availability and dietary needs,” Amy Macrae, manager of workplace experience and operations at Golden State, said in a statement. “Now, it takes just a few minutes every couple of days to review and approve orders.”

Catering is currently available in San Francisco and New York through the DoorDash app, with plans to expand to additional markets. Meal Manager and catering are live in select U.S. markets.

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Uber’s $14.8B Delivery Hero deal would nearly double its global footprint

After weeks of speculation, Uber officially agreed to acquire Delivery Hero, a purchase that will take the ride-hailing and delivery giant’s status to new heights, and to nearly 100 markets across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia.

German-based Delivery Hero also made a separate agreement to sell its business in 14 markets, where Uber Eats is already operating, to New York-based investment firm SSW Partners for $1.6 billion.

The $14.8 billion all-stock acquisition isn’t a done deal yet. The purchase will make Uber’s delivery platform one of the largest in the world, at least the largest outside of China, and will likely face regulatory scrutiny. And Uber, which was already the largest shareholder of Delivery Hero, has set a minimum acceptance threshold of 50%, plus one share of Delivery Hero’s outstanding share capital. Prosus, another major shareholder, has agreed to sell its 17% stake as well, according to the announcement.

If the deal closes, Uber will essentially double its footprint, putting it in a better position to compete with DoorDash and Just Eat.

“Together, we’ll nearly double the number of markets where we offer both mobility and delivery services, scaling a proven platform that we believe will create significant long-term value for our customers and shareholders,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement.

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DoorDash Seen Outpacing Uber Eats in Onboarding Newly Opened Restaurants

According to a recent LinkedIn post from DataLane, analysis of 18,533 restaurant openings in 2026 suggests DoorDash is onboarding new venues materially faster than Uber Eats. The post indicates DoorDash is present at 34.4% of newly opened restaurants, compared with 23.7% for Uber Eats, implying DoorDash signs new openings roughly 1.45× faster.

The company’s LinkedIn post highlights this short‑term go‑to‑market dynamic as part of a broader “delivery wars” study. For investors following food‑delivery platforms, the findings point to potential near‑term advantages for DoorDash in supply acquisition and market density, while underscoring competitive pressure on Uber Eats to accelerate merchant onboarding and GTM execution.

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Wonder lays off 533 as part of production consolidation

Dive Brief:

  • Wonder is cutting 533 jobs in New Jersey between Sept. 16 and Jan. 8, according to a WARN notice in the Garden State. 
  • The company is closing two production facilities in Cranford and Fairfield and moving into a higher-capacity facility in Swedesboro, the company said in an emailed statement. 
  • Wonder said these layoffs are unrelated to a round of cuts that occurred about a week ago impacting roughly 150 jobs, including roles within Grubhub, as it prepares to go public.

Dive Insight:

Wonder, which has grown to about 150 food hall locations, has been changing up its operations as it continues to grow rapidly.

Earlier this month the company sold Grubhub’s campus business to DoorDash for $300 million. DoorDash also invested $125 million as part of a strategic partnership. In September, it started to deploy its Infinite Makeline, an automated prep line technology it bought from Sweetgreen last year for $186 million. Over the summer, Wonder raised an additional $650 million bringing its total raise to over $3 billion and valuation to roughly $9 billion. 

The shift in production facilities in New Jersey will bring production and distribution under one roof, which will help with efficiency and support as Wonder expands into new markets, the company said. 

“Because this is a site consolidation, it unfortunately requires winding down operations and the roles tied to those locations,” the company said. “We recognize this is a significant disruption for these employees and we are working to support them through this transition.” 

Impacted employees will receive severance, outplacement services and opportunities to apply for open positions across Wonder, including at the new facility, the company said. The new facility is expected to open in November.

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Olo App launch

LinkedIn, Noah Glass:
The Olo App launches next month, a moment 21 years in the making. Team Olo has been hard at work building our first consumer app, and we’re excited for this new era of online ordering. 

There’s a lot to love about the Olo App: zero commissions, map discovery, one-click acquisition, no paid promotional ads, to name a few. My favorite feature of the Olo App starts when a guest logs in for the first time. 

For the 40 million guests already part of the Olo Network through Accounts, the brands they’ve already ordered from will show up as favorites. Their order history will show up, ready to reorder in one tap. In other words, they’ll feel known at hello.

On the brand side, that means connecting directly with your guests easily. No commissions or bidding against the brand next door for placement. Your regulars arrive with their favorites, and their order history already in hand, and new guests discover you through the Olo Network instead of through whoever paid the most that day.

21 years ago, we launched Olo to help guests Skip the Line®. Next month, they’ll have access to the network in the palm of their hand. The epitome of our mission: Hospitality at Scale®
https://www.olo.com/olo-network

If you’re an Olo brand that wants to be a favorite of your guests on Day 1 of the Olo App, connect with our team through the link in the first comment.

DoorDash to buy Grubhub Campus Dining for $300M from Wonder

Dive Brief:

  • DoorDash is buying Grubhub’s campus dining division for $300 million and is investing $125 million in Wonder, which owns Grubhub, according to a Tuesday press release.
  • The companies expect the transaction to close in early 2027, subject to regulatory approvals.
  • The investment will support Wonder’s “continued physical expansion and investments in technology, robotics and AI.”

Dive Insight:

Purchasing the program gives DoorDash a significant source of data and new touchpoints with young consumers. 

Grubhub’s campus dining program, once known as Tapingo, is live at upwards of 450 campuses. The system lets students order meals from campus foodservice and restaurant locations for pickup through its apps and pay for those meals using campus dining dollars, per the press release. 

DoorDash will continue to expand campus dining and plans to “bring Tapingo’s vertically integrated technology stack beyond college campuses to stadiums, hotels and other similar venues,” according to the press release.

For Wonder, the deal will provide an infusion of cash that could help sustain the food hall and tech company’s breakneck expansion. Per the press release, Wonder has quadrupled its physical locations in the U.S. since 2025, reaching 157 locations on the East Coast. The chain will open its first food hall in Texas next year. 

Developing that many locations, especially in the downtown markets and affluent suburbs that form the core of Wonder’s geographical strategy, is likely a cash-intensive business, given real estate and construction costs. Wonder has also pursued a number of major acquisitions.

In 2023, the food hall operator bought meal-kit company Blue Apron for about $103 million. In 2024, it dropped $650 million on its Grubhub acquisition. Last year, it paid more than $186 million for Sweetgreen’s robotics division. And earlier this year, the company paid an undisclosed sum to acquire a fast casual fried chicken chain. 

To power this growth, Wonder has raised significant amounts across several funding rounds, including $650 million earlier this summer and $600 million in 2025. The company is reportedly preparing for an IPO as soon as next year. DoorDash’s investment in Wonder also means the company, which bills itself as a vertically integrated food delivery system, will have significant investment backing from one of its major competitors in third-party delivery.

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