Impossible Foods Launches Direct-to-Consumer Sales and Accelerates Retail Expansion

Impossible Foods is launching an all-new e-commerce site today, allowing people in the lower 48 states to buy the award-winning, plant-based Impossible Burger and cook it at home.

The startup’s direct-to-consumer channel offers family-size quantities of the award-winning, plant-based Impossible Burger starting at $49.99 (plus tax). The orders come with compostable and recyclable packaging, free shipping and two-day home delivery.

Impossible Foods has increased its retail footprint nearly 20-fold since the start of 2020, and its flagship product is now available in over...

DoorDash Launches Initiative to Continue Supporting Local Restaurants

DoorDash announced Main Street Strong, an initiative to help restaurants navigate the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. Through this initiative, DoorDash is launching a suite of products, programs, and policies to help restaurants grow their business and take control of the customer experience by building their own digital ordering solutions.

As part of the "Main Street Strong" initiative, DoorDash is announcing new products and programs aimed at helping restaurants build their own brands online according to their unique needs.

Launching DoorDash Storefront, a service that enables restaurants to create their own online stores, providing them with a turnkey solution to offer their customers on-demand access to their restaurant without investing in in-house logistics. By our estimate, 40% of our restaurant partners today do not have...

Food E-commerce Market Projected to Reach $498 Million by 2026

Consumer behavior in the food industry is transforming owing to rising e-commerce and technological trends. The food and beverage industry is gradually moving towards e-commerce, that's certain, but its full potential is yet to be exploited.

Infinium global research has recently published a global report on "Food E-commerce Market," the reported study estimated the market for food e-commerce to be USD 138 million in 2019 and is projected to reach up to USD 498 million in 2026, with a Compound Annual Growth Rate of 20.3%, over the forecast period of...

Has the Coronavirus Caused Consumers to Adopt New Eating Behaviors? 

Although social distancing measures have forced many people to stay indoors and start experimenting in the kitchen, the verdict is mixed on home cooking. According to Datassential, two in five consumers did not actually start cooking more often. However, about 35% found joy and excitement in discovering new dishes, yet more than a third of Gen X and households with children are sick of having to cook more often for their families.

For the most part, the pandemic has encouraged very few consumers to adopt new shopping and dining strategies, the rest are maintaining their prior routines. Online grocery shopping and grocery delivery have benefited the most from these new trials, with 21% trying grocery pickup for the first time, and...

Technomic: Consumer Perspective on Social Distancing Measures within Restaurants

Following CDC guidelines for safe social distancing, half of consumers would be comfortable dining in at restaurants with a 6-foot distance between tables. However, more than a quarter would be more comfortable with 9-15 feet.

More consumers willing to social distance than wear protective gear

More than half of consumers would follow social distancing measures, but less than half would be willing to wear a mask or gloves when in a restaurant. Consumers ages 35-44 are more likely to...

SNAP Online Purchasing to Cover 90% of Households

U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that households in 13 new states – Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia – will soon be able to purchase food online with their Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Once operational, online purchasing will be available in 36 states and the District of Columbia, home to more than 90% of SNAP participants. 

In addition, Secretary Perdue also announced an expansion of independently owned and operated retail stores beyond those included in the original pilot. Soon more SNAP authorized retailers, under...

Postmates Introduces Curbside Pickup For Restaurants And Retailers

Postmates announced an industry first: Curbside Pickup. This new pickup product for merchants is meant to help responsibly accelerate reopening of local businesses by enabling customers and fleet to pick up orders curbside, rather than going into the physical store -- a capability that most businesses don't currently have today.

"Restaurants and retailers across the country are ready to open their doors again and we've created Curbside Pickup to help them open quickly and serve customers as smoothly as possible," said Bastian Lehmann, CEO and co-founder of Postmates.

To use this feature, the merchant will...

While Total U.S. Restaurant Traffic Declines by 22% in March, Digital and Delivery Orders Jump

March is supposed to come in like a lion and leave like a lamb, but with 97% of U.S. restaurants impacted by mandated dine-in closures by mid-March, the month left like an angry lion for America’s foodservice industry. Restaurant traffic declined by 22% in the month compared to same month year ago, but a testament to the U.S. consumers’ want for someone other than themselves to make their meals, digital restaurant orders increased by 63% and delivery by 67% in March, reports the NPD Group.

Visits to quick service restaurants (QSR), many of which already had off-premise operations, like carry-out and drive-thru, in place prior to the dine-in closures, decreased by...

Technomic: Foodservice Spending Continues a Slow Rebound 

Consumer spending estimates bottomed out at a decrease of 35% of expected sales the week of April 12 and has grown to a level that may be pulling us off the bottom of the market. The cumulative loss in spending has declined for the first week since the start of the pandemic. However, it is important to note that previous weeks showed fluctuations that could foretell more up and down movement in the trends in coming weeks.

Off-premise ordering at FSRs sees high growth this week

Ordering by nondelivery, off-premise methods has increased across all segments this week. For fast-food restaurants, this was driven by drive-thru orders (59%). Growth at FSRs was driven by a mix of drive-thru and takeout orders. Overall, casual-dining and fine-dining restaurants saw the largest jump...

Dunkin' Expands Options Through New Partnership with Uber Eats

As more Americans rely on restaurant delivery, Dunkin' continues to step up for its customers with new options for getting their coffee, espresso, baked goods, and breakfast sandwiches delivered right to their doorstep. As part of the brand's efforts to make it easier and more convenient for Americans to run on Dunkin' without leaving home, Dunkin' is expanding its delivery options to include Uber Eats. With this new partnership, Dunkin' is now available for delivery through Uber Eats at over 1,700 restaurants, with more than 4,000 total locations nationwide to offer the service by the end of May.

Dunkin' delivery with Uber Eats is currently available at select stores across eight states, including California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Ohio, and...

The Cheesecake Factory Offers Special Happy Hour Menu Online for Pickup and Curbside To-Go

The Cheesecake Factory is featuring a limited-time Happy Hour Menu online for pickup and curbside to-go orders Monday through Friday 2-4:30 p.m. today through Friday, May 15. Featuring ten signature menu items for $7.50 including full-sized portions of The Cheesecake Factory’s most popular appetizers and its special “Happy Hour” Burger – a double cheeseburger available exclusively during Happy Hour – bottles of private reserve house wine for $15 and “mix and match” six packs of beer for $12.95, the Happy Hour Menu is the perfect solution for afternoon snacks and libations to enjoy at home.

“We are so pleased to offer a Happy Hour Menu to-go for the very first time,” said David Overton, Founder and CEO of The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated. “With so many people working from home right now, we thought...

Taco Bell Unveils At Home Taco Bar; Just in Time for Cinco de Mayo Celebrations

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo, Taco Bell is giving fans the perfect recipe to recreate their favorites from home with the At Home Taco Bar, available via delivery and contactless drive-thrus nationwide starting Friday, May 1, for a limited time.

The At Home Taco Bar comes deconstructed, packed and sealed for an easy and safe way to feed a party of 6 for $25. Complete with staple Taco Bell ingredients including flour tortillas, crunchy taco shells, nacho chips, seasoned beef, shredded lettuce, nacho cheese sauce, hot sauce packets and more, fans will have the chance to recreate beloved favorites from the comfort of their own homes.

To help inspire the inner chef in us all, Taco Bell is also rolling out a series of recipe cards straight from the Taco Bell Test Kitchen. The cards provide step-by-step instructions on... 

Walmart Introduces Express Delivery

Walmart is announcing Express Delivery, a new service that delivers more items from the store than ever before to customers’ doors in less than two hours.

Walmart has accelerated the development of the service in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, piloting Express Delivery in 100 stores since mid-April. The service will expand to nearly 1,000 stores in early May and will be available in nearly 2,000 total stores in the following weeks. Express Delivery allows customers to order across more than 160,000 items from Walmart’s food, consumables and general merchandise assortment such as... 

Mintel: UK Online Grocery will Grow by Around 33% in 2020

The latest research from Mintel reveals the online grocery market is forecast to grow by 33% in 2020 to reach an estimated value of £16.8 billion, up from £12.7 billion in 2019. This phenomenal rise follows four consecutive years of slowing growth: in 2019 growth fell to a historic low of just 2.9%. The market is set to be worth £17.9 billion by 2024, growing by 41% over the five year period.

Online shopping behaviour as a whole

This comes as Mintel reveals a dramatic change in online shopping habits over the COVID-19 lockdown period, habits that Mintel believes could prove lasting. In the very early days of the spread of the coronavirus in the UK, before social distancing measures were announced, 7% of Brits...

7-Eleven Expands Delivery Footprint Through Third-Party Providers

In addition to its proprietary 7NOW delivery app, 7-Eleven, Inc. has joined with national delivery platforms Postmates and DoorDash, in addition to Google, to make convenient delivery from 7-Eleven stores available to as many customers as possible. Texas customers also can use Favor Delivery.

As stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders are extended, many Americans are confined to their homes and unable to run to the store for basic necessities or even a treat. 7-Eleven wants to better serve those needs by expanding on-demand delivery providers, giving customers convenient access to hundreds of products. With this expansion...

Chipotle Introduces New Lifestyle Bowls 

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced five new Lifestyle Bowls inspired by wellness experts and the Chipotle Together Wellness Live-Streams to help fans get back on track with their health and fitness goals.

Chipotle partnered with YouGov to better understand how consumers food behavior and patterns have shifted during this unprecedented time of social distancing. The brands' joint study found over a third of Americans surveyed (35%) are struggling to maintain healthy lifestyles, and over four in ten (44%) aren't maintaining...

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Announces DoorDash Partnership

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store announced its partnership with DoorDash, to bring the comfort of Cracker Barrel to guests' homes nationwide.

"We have served as a home-away-from-home for more than 50 years, and as families spend even more time together now, we want to make mealtime a little easier by providing the comfort and value guests have come to expect from Cracker Barrel in their own home," said Jeff Sigel, Vice President of Marketing for Cracker Barrel. "We are pleased to partner with DoorDash to provide our homestyle food to guests, wherever they may be."

To help make their guests' next family meal more special, the companies will offer...

Coronavirus Takes European Food Delivery on a Bumpy Ride

Food delivery platforms were expected to be one of the few winners of the ‘corona crisis.’ However, platforms seem to have had a rough start, due to both supply and demand developments. Although recovery is seen in some cases, it remains to be seen whether this bumpy ride will get smoother.

Food Delivery Platforms Swell With New Entrants

For foodservice companies, business has drastically changed these last few weeks. Restaurants and bars across Europe were told to shut down and resort to food delivery. Many restaurants have made this shift, from fast-food chains to Michelin-star restaurants.

Even though some restaurants decided to take on the task of delivery themselves, many see the added value of teaming up with delivery platforms such as...

Kroger to Accept SNAP Benefits for Pickup

Kroger announced the acceptance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for Pickup. The low-contact, convenient service allows customers to shop online for groceries on Kroger.com or the Kroger app and pick up their order curbside at a nearby Kroger store.

"Kroger is rolling out a payment capability across our nearly 2,800 grocery stores to allow more customers to access fresh, affordable food and essentials through our Pickup service," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chairman and CEO. "We are committed to supporting all families as we work together with...

Pizza Hut Launches Contactless Curbside Pickup Nationwide

Pizza Hut is doubling down on its efforts to keep team members and customers safe, today announcing the availability of contactless curbside pickup at participating restaurants nationwide. Pizza Hut is the only national pizza brand to make it easy to select contactless curbside for online orders—all you have to do is check a box during checkout. The brand will also be introducing new health and safety measures aimed at protecting team members, customers and the communities it serves, with a focus on helping to ensure that team members and guests feel safe, valued, and cared for during this critical time.

Nationwide Contactless Options

With an increase in customer demand for contactless options—over 60% of online delivery orders are now via contactless delivery— Pizza Hut is introducing curbside pickup for customers that...

Tim Hortons U.S. Partners with Uber Eats for First-Ever Delivery Option

Tim Hortons U.S. announced its signature coffee, Iced Capp beverages, baked goods, and more can now be delivered right to consumers' doorstep through Uber Eats for the first time. Also, guests can receive a free 10-pack of Timbits with each order of $5 or more from April 17 through April 30.

With the tap of a button, guests can now place a food and beverage order of their Tim Hortons favorites on the Uber Eats app. Whether it’s a breakfast sandwich or an afternoon Iced Capp, it has never been easier to get Tim Hortons delivered. Simply download and open the free Uber Eats app from...

U.S. Restaurant Transaction Declines May Have Bottomed Out in the Week Ending April 5

U.S. restaurant customer transactions declined by 41% in the week ending April 5 compared to year ago, following a 42% decline in the prior week ending March 29, which may indicate the industry is bottoming out, reports The NPD Group. The apparent “bottom” is likely due to the full effect of on-premise dining closures throughout the country and the industry’s collective ability to convert to off-premise modes, like carry-out, delivery, and drive-thru.

“The 41% decline in restaurant transactions is similar to last week and may indicate a bottom. We also need to be aware that further erosion could occur if consumers’ economic situations worsen,” says David Portalatin, NPD food industry advisor and author of Eating Patterns in America. “To date, many consumers have...

Grubhub Provides Business Update During COVID-19 Pandemic 

Grubhub Inc., a leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace, announced it will release first quarter 2020 earnings results after the market close on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.

The company also today provided a brief business update due to the extraordinary circumstances stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Founder and CEO Matt Maloney and Adam DeWitt, President and CFO, released the following business update...

Instacart Launches New Customer Product Features as Demand for Online Grocery Surges

Instacart announced the launch of two new product features designed to speed up service and unlock more delivery windows as demand for grocery delivery continues to surge in North America. The new features - "Fast & Flexible" and "Order Ahead" - which the company has been testing over the last few weeks, increase delivery availability for customers across North America and provide more choice and convenience for customers who are moving their weekly grocery shop online.

Instacart has become an essential service for millions of people in the U.S. and Canada who are depending on the platform to safely, reliably and affordably get the groceries and household goods they need. Last week, the company saw overall customer order volume up by more than...

Survey: Coronavirus Transforms Americans' Grocery & Cooking Habits

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on Americans' grocery shopping and cooking habits, according to a March 23 survey of more than 3,000 consumers by meal planning service eMeals. Shoppers were unable to find 40% of the grocery items on their shopping list as the gravity of the COVID-19 outbreak sent them flocking to grocery stores to stock up on food from March 18-23. Respondents also reported a 55% increase in weekly shopping spend, cooking dinner at home six nights a week, and surging online grocery use that has caused fulfillment delays because of the high demand.

"Shopping and cooking habits have clearly been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. Short supplies at grocery stores, restaurant closings, and the need to...

Canada's Food Price Report: Food Prices Expected to Rise 4% in 2020

Both Dalhousie University and the University of Guelph are issuing an update on Agri-food Analytics Lab's forecast for Canada's food prices for 2020. In December of last year, it was forecasted that food prices would increase between 2 and 4 percent, with meat increasing between 4 and 6 percent.

Considering the coronavirus pandemic, the analytics lab does not believe the overall forecast for food prices in 2020 will change. According to the update, food prices are expected to increase by no more than 4 percent, as predicted in December 2019. However, retail and processing sectors are under pressure to change food safety practices, to make customers feel safer. These new protocols will require...

U.S. Restaurant Chain Transactions Drop by 36% as Mandated Restaurant Dine-In Closures Take Effect

The mandated restaurant dine-in closures that took effect in most states beginning the week ending March 22 took a toll on U.S. restaurant transactions, reports The NPD Group. Total restaurant customer transactions declined by 36% in the week ending March 22 compared to same week year ago, according to NPD’s CREST Performance Alerts, which provides a rapid weekly view of chain-specific transactions and share trends for 70 quick service, fast casual, midscale, and casual dining chains.

Customer transactions at quick service restaurants, which represent the bulk of restaurant industry transactions and have more off-premise business than full service restaurants, decreased by...

Asian Consumers Are Rethinking How They Eat Past COVID-19 

Consumers across Asia have signaled their eating habits may change permanently once the world moves beyond the impact of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). In an exclusive Nielsen study of 11 Asian markets, only Japanese consumers say they are less likely to change their eating habits as a result of the global pandemic.

The study, the first in a wave of Nielsen explorations underway across 74 markets, indicates that consumers in Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam will rethink and re-prioritize the place eating at home has in their lives. In Chinese mainland, 86% said they would eat at home more often than before the outbreak. In other markets, a similar trend was observed with 77% of consumers in Hong Kong planning to eat at home more often than...

Restaurants Offer Deals to Boost Traffic During the Coronavirus Pandemic 

Now that President Trump has extended social distancing guidelines until April 30th, consumers should expect to get food delivered, takeout, or from the drive-thru for the next month when they want to dine out. Restaurants are offering incentives to get consumers to eat away from home to generate income during these unprecedented times.

Taco Bell announced that the chain wants to give back to Americans this Tuesday, with a free Doritos Locos Taco for drive-thru guests. The restaurant is also offering free delivery through GrubHub on all orders more than $12.00. The chain will also be transforming its Taco Bell Trucks to...

Restaurants in America Offer Contactless Delivery Similar to China's Model

During the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in China, the country began taking extraordinary steps to prevent the spread of the virus by introducing contactless delivery services to keep customers and employees safe. As part of the process, customers order remotely via mobile phones or computers, and workers seal the meals in bags and place them in a pre-determined location without any human contact.

Some reports stated that these contactless delivery options also come with a card that provides the name and temperature of the person who made the food, as well as the person who delivered it. Quick service chains taking these precautions in China include McDonald's, Starbucks, and...

Coronavirus Cases Continue to Impact Foodservice and Retail 

Cases of COVID-19 are continuing to surface as the virus spreads and more tests become available. States across the country are still enforcing restrictions and guidelines, encouraging people to social distance.

Retailers have gone from limiting hours to closing completely until further notice. Grocery stores are struggling to keep shelves stocked as consumers continue to panic buy and stockpile essentials. Amid all the hysteria, restaurants are creatively finding new ways to serve guests and generate income.

As of March 18th, the National Restaurant Association predicts that the foodservice industry could lose up to $225 billion and 7 million jobs. Mandatory restaurant closures have caused...

Technomic: Foodservice Growth Projected to Decline 11-27% in 2020 Due to Coronavirus

COVID-19 continues to disrupt the entire foodservice industry and will only continue to have significant consequences. Using our current understanding of the crisis, we modeled out numerous scenarios to understand the scope of its impact. Presently, the expected foodservice impact ranges from a decline of 11% to 27% in year-over-year growth for 2020.

But while most of the changes seem grim, there are also signs of hope, specifically from the operators who are adapting their service model in response to the new environment.

It’s no surprise that travel and leisure will take the biggest hit. The business and industry sector is being severely impacted by office closures and...

Instacart Announces Plans to Bring on 300,000 New Personal Shoppers Over the Next 3 Months

Instacart announced plans to bring on an additional 300,000 full-service shoppers over the next 3 months to meet the growing customer demand for grocery delivery and pickup in North America. Instacart has become an essential service for millions of customers who are relying on the platform to get access to the groceries and household goods they need in a safe, reliable and affordable way.

In the last few weeks, the company has seen order volume grow by more than 150% year-over-year, with average customer basket size also increasing by 15%. By more than doubling the size of its full-service shopper community, Instacart will be better positioned to meet this increase in...

Rabobank: Coronavirus' Impact on the U.S. Beverage Landscape by Channel

Rabobank breaks down how coronavirus so far has impacted the US beverage landscape by channel: off-premise and on-premise.

Off-Premise: The Storm Before the Quiet?

The most up-to-date IRI data (through March 8) shows that consumers started to boost food and beverage spending as early as mid-February. Rabobank's sources, however, indicate that there was a drastic shift in consumer behavior starting on March 11 and March 12, at which time consumers really started stocking up on essentials (in fact, the CDC recommends having at least a two-week supply of “essentials”). Reportedly, one major supermarket chain saw record, single-day sales on...

Blue Apron Stock Soars as Consumers Turn to At-Home Meal Kits During Coronavirus Outbreak

When Blue Apron first went public in 2017, things didn’t turn out so great l for the company. However, as the majority of the global market heads on a downward spiral, Blue Apron’s stock has been on the upswing.

As the markets closed on March 19, Blue Apron’s stock was up an impressive 500%, as the demand for its meal kits has skyrocketed in the past week.

“We are increasing our capacity for future orders and expect to fulfill this increased demand by the next..."

Chipotle Announces Partnership with Uber Eats to Expand Delivery Service 

Chipotle Mexican Grill and Uber Eats have announced a national delivery partnership. For the first time, consumers can get the Chipotle delivered through the Uber Eats app and ubereats.com. This month, the Delivery Fee will be waived on any Chipotle order of $10 or more on the Uber Eats app and ubereats.com.

Given recent world events, Chipotle and Uber Eats are working together to make the delivery experience easier for guests. Uber Eats users can leave a note in the app for "no-contact" deliveries, which involve a driver leaving the food at the doorstep rather than an in-person exchange. Digital orders from Chipotle are customized via the brand's Delivery Kitchens, which are comprised of a dedicated ingredient station and operated by...

Coronavirus to Impact Eating Behaviors Across Multiple Sectors

According to recent research from Datassential, the coronavirus will impact consumers' eating behaviors across multiple sectors. While it is impossible to predict precisely how the virus will spread, insights can be shared as to how consumers will react.

Restaurants are vulnerable to dramatic traffic declines. Coronavirus has led to nearly 60% of consumers expressing concern about eating out, with one in five "definitely" avoiding doing so. The fear is most significant among parents, urban dwellers, and higher earners. Datassential predicts that if the situation worsens, family dining and kids meals will be the most impacted, particularly for restaurant brands located in city centers. About 20% of those surveyed would...

Restaurants Limit Business to Prevent Spread of Coronavirus 

Due to the spread of the coronavirus in the United States, restaurants and bars are closing or limiting business to prevent further contamination. Governors in states including California, Ohio, Illinois, Massachusetts, and Washington have closed restaurants, bars, and wineries. Meanwhile, mayors of major cities throughout the country have ordered similar restrictions. These decisions come amid growing pressure for state and city governments to act as the number of coronavirus cases in the United States is rising. At the time of this publication, there are over 3,800 cases throughout the country.

Several restaurant chains announced that they will be closing their dining rooms, switching to take out or delivery models until further notice. Chick-fil-A announced...

Chipotle Offers Free Delivery Through March

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that it will offer Free Delivery starting March 15 through March 31 to make life easier for guests. Delivery orders are customized via Chipotle's Delivery Kitchen, which is comprised of a dedicated ingredient line operated by a special team. The Delivery Kitchen provides guests with the same great Chipotle experience whether they choose to dine in, order ahead and pick up, or have it delivered.

Chipotle has also introduced a new delivery tracker to provide step-by-step real-time updates, so you can follow your meal from the restaurant to your location. Prior to placing their orders, Chipotle customers can leave special instructions for delivery drivers in the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com to limit direct contact...

Research and Markets: Global Online Grocery Market Outlook

Despite the origins in the late 1990s by Tesco, despite Ocado, despite Peapod, despite Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods, despite Walmart's investments, despite the French drives pioneered by Chronodrive (Auchan) online grocery has still not been solved.

So where is online grocery going?

Grocery stores are more and more seeing a transformation towards becoming hybrids for pick up/delivery and shopping and often foodservice too. Especially players such as Freshippo or JD.com stores in Asia have been at the forefront of this development, but this is not really groundbreakingly new for the West either. In the US all the major grocers are rolling out... 

Walmart Adds Grocery to Flagship App

For years, Walmart has had two mobile apps: the Walmart app and the Walmart Grocery app. Customers navigate both apps, but would like an easier way to shop without having to switch between the two. 

The company is excited to announce its adding Walmart Grocery to the flagship Walmart app. Now, customers can access everything Walmart has to offer in one, definitive experience – the Walmart app.

Here’s what the updated Walmart app offers...

U.S. Demand for Single-Use Foodservice Products to Rise

According to a new Freedonia Group analysis, the US market for single-use foodservice products is forecast to see healthy annual growth of 3.4% through 2023, when demand is expected to near $25 billion. The best opportunities exist for products with features that support use in fast-growing applications – such as tamper-evidence and improved insulation for meal delivery – as well as those sourced from sustainable materials that reflect growing consumer and government concerns about the environmental impact of single-use plastics.

Containers and cups/lids to account for two-thirds of market gains through 2023

Containers and cups (along with their respective lids) are by far the most commonly used types of foodservice disposables and will together account for two-thirds of all new demand through 2023. Highlights include...

Solo Diners Represent the Largest Share of U.S. Restaurant Visits Among Party Sizes

Over the last five years, solo diners, or parties of 1, have increased their share of restaurant visits while other party sizes have declined, reports The NPD Group. Last year solo diners represented 35% of restaurant visits whereas parties of two represented 27% of visits, parties of three, 14%, parties of four, 12%, and parties of 5 or more, 13%. Solo diners made 15.4B restaurant visits in the year ending December 2019, an increase of 1% compared to year ago, with the exception of parties of 4, visits from all other party sizes declined, according to NPD’s ongoing foodservice market research, CREST.

Quick service restaurants (QSRs) get the bulk, 89%, of solo diners’ visits and 10% of their visits go to full service restaurants. Their use of QSRs is about 10% higher than...

Nielsen: It's Time to Think Omnichannel Shopper, Not Just Omnichannel 

There’s no shortage of omnichannel chatter across the retail landscape, and that chatter has been building for quite some time. But now that 44% of American households are actively buying food both on- and offline, the industry needs to focus more on the consumer and less on the physical channel.

As online capabilities have grown, the industry has largely concentrated on developing capabilities to facilitate shopping from all angles. The companies that now have those infrastructures in place are well-poised for success. That’s because at the end of 2019, more than 54 million U.S. households had transitioned to true omnichannel shoppers. That’s up 14% from just two years earlier, and it means that it’s time to put the consumer—not the channel—at the center of the equation.

It’s possible that some market observers might have—not too long ago—believed that shopping would largely migrate online. Today, that mindset would most certainly be...

Technomic Releases Foodservice Technology Program and Consumer Trend Study

Recent research as part of Technomic’s foodservice technology program sheds a light on the fast-paced and evolving influence technology has on consumers’ dining experiences. Brands must balance leveraging technology to foster a greater connection with guests and maintaining their trust in terms of privacy and control over personal data.

“Technology is becoming more ingrained in the foodservice industry and is rapidly evolving,” explains Anne Mills, senior manager of consumer insights at Technomic. “Operators will need to work with their partners to...

Rabobank: Foodservice 2020 Global Outlook

The global market outlook is for foodservice sales to continue to grow, although some tempering is expected due to macroeconomic uncertainties across most geographies. This report explores the foodservice market in various regions and looks at the four main issues for foodservice executives: the macroeconomic and geopolitical environment, delivery, input costs, and sustainability.

The Foodservice 2020 Global Outlook explores the issues that are top of mind for foodservice executives. The first of these is the uncertain macroeconomic and geopolitical environment. Consumer confidence, a key driver for foodservice, may be under increased pressure in 2020 as economic growth slows down and geopolitical events add uncertainty and an overall...

Breakfast Remains a Deeply Rooted Institution in the U.S. and Its Future is Bright

Breakfast means breaking a fast and whether consumed at 6 a.m. or 11 a.m., it’s always been an important meal in the U.S. Last year Americans consumed nearly 102 billion breakfasts, with another 50 billion morning snack occasions rounding out the average morning, reports The NPD Group. And, the future of breakfast looks rosy too with forecast growth of breakfast foods that meet consumers’ primary needs of function, convenience, and enjoyment, according to NPD’s recently released Future of Morning study, which illustrates how morning foods are changing today and into the future.

“While breakfast as an institution is deeply rooted, the what, how, and why surrounding our food and beverage choices and...

Instacart Rolls Out New Grocery Pickup Experience For Customers Across North America

Instacart announced a new Instacart Pickup product and the appointment of Instacart veteran Sarah Mastrorocco to the newly-created role of General Manager, Instacart Pickup. The announcement comes following a year of significant pickup growth for Instacart, which tripled the number of states and doubled the number of grocery partners offering its grocery pickup product in 2019. Instacart today powers pickup for more than 50 grocery partners, including Food Lion, Gelson's, Publix, Price Chopper, Schnucks, Shop 'n Save, The Fresh Market, Wegmans and more, across more than 30 states. The company expects to expand the Instacart Pickup offering to all 50 states by the end of 2020.

The reimagined Instacart Pickup product has been rolling out to consumers gradually over the past several months and is now available to all Instacart customers across the U.S. and Canada. Among the new features, Instacart Pickup now includes...

Popeyes Announces New Partnership with DoorDash

Popeyes today announced a new, nationwide partnership with DoorDash, bringing the Popeyes Chicken Sandwich and other fan-favorite menu items directly to customers’ doorsteps around the country. To celebrate the new partnership, Popeyes is thanking its loyal customers by giving away free Chicken Sandwiches exclusively through DoorDash for the next week only.

From January 13 through 19, customers who order $20 or more of Popeyes through DoorDash can receive a free Chicken Sandwich combo meal and a $0 delivery fee with code...

Walmart’s Alphabot is Helping to Revolutionize Online Grocery Pickup and Delivery

In Salem, New Hampshire, a Walmart supercenter is rolling into the future. Alphabot, a first-of-its-kind piece of tech, is now fully operational and working with associates. Its goal? To revolutionize the online grocery pickup and delivery process for associates and customers.

Developed exclusively for Walmart by startup Alert Innovation, Alphabot helps to enable quicker, more efficient order picking. The system operates inside a 20,000-square-foot warehouse-style space, using autonomous carts to retrieve ambient, refrigerated and frozen items ordered for online grocery. After it retrieves them, Alphabot delivers the products to...

GrubMarket Completes Two New Acquisitions to Kick-Off Their Rapid Expansion Plans in 2020

GrubMarket today announced it has completed the acquisitions of Eating with the Seasons Inc and EJ Food Distributor Inc, two highly-reputable food companies with established customer bases across Northern California. Eating with the Seasons was founded in 2000 by Pat Herbert, a fourth generation farmer. His business originally consisted of offering weekly boxes of his farm's fresh and seasonal bounty. Two years later, Pat's daughter Becky Herbert, left her job in publishing to help market and promote the farm's produce, and through her innovative thinking and operational excellence, she created one of the nation's first customizable produce boxes for Eating with the Seasons. Since then, Becky has developed...

Perdue Farms Launches New Direct-to-Consumer E-Commerce Website in Centennial Year

With nearly half or more of all shoppers buying perishables such as meat, produce and dairy items online*, Perdue Farms has launched a new e-commerce website that will offer a selection of its family of brands for sale directly to consumers at PerdueFarms.com.

The site will initially offer an assortment of frozen items across some of Perdue Farms' most popular brands including PERDUE, Niman Ranch, Coleman Natural, Sonoma Red and Skagit Red, with plans to add additional offerings over time as demand increases.

"As both online shopping and the demand for convenience show no signs of slowing down, we felt it was important to be in this space," said David Zucker, Perdue Farms senior vice president of e-commerce and new ventures. "We're excited that this is the first time we've been able to offer...

Little Caesars Partners with DoorDash for Delivery

Customers can now get the value and convenience, and Crazy Bread they appreciate from Little Caesars in a whole new way: delivery. Further differentiating the company from its pizza chain peers, Little Caesars offers the same every day menu price whether pick-up or delivery and regardless of quantity -- bringing much needed affordability to delivered pizza. So, whether you want a single pizza or enough to feed a game-day crowd, Little Caesars is now geared up to deliver extreme value from thousands of stores throughout the United States. Delivery service is available for the full menu and during all store operating hours.

"We've seen such expensive and complex pricings throughout the pizza industry, and we think it's crazy!" said David Scrivano, President & CEO for Little Caesars. "Some chains require a minimum purchase to get their deals, or...

Chipotle Innovates Lifestyle Bowls

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced today that it's rolling out a Supergreens salad mix nationally this week. Made of hand-cut romaine, antioxidant-rich baby kale and crisp baby spinach, Supergreens will replace the existing romaine-only salad base. This is Chipotle's second new menu item added in the last four months, following the successful launch of Carne Asada in September 2019. Chipotle has also made its grilled, Adobo chicken Whole30 compliant by switching the oil in its marinade, keeping the same great taste, but providing guests with specific dietary goals more options.

Chipotle was the first in the fast-casual industry to offer preconfigured, diet driven Lifestyle Bowls last year, which aided its digital sales growth to hit a $1B milestone recently. Statistics have shown that less than 25% of people stay committed to their new year's resolutions after 30 days, and...

Walmart to Test-Drive Autonomous Grocery Deliveries with Nuro

Today, Walmart is announcing a new pilot with autonomous vehicle company, Nuro. Nuro’s vision of using robotics to improve lives runs parallel with Walmart’s mission of helping customers live better. Through the Houston-based pilot, Walmart aims to develop, refine and continue learning how to offer the best end-to-end customer experience.

Walmart is committed to delivering groceries – with a side of time-saving convenience – through an ever-expanding Grocery Pickup and Delivery service. As we near the end of 2019, Walmart has grown our online grocery footprint to nearly 3,100 pickup locations with deliveries coming from more than...

Postmates And TGI Fridays Announce On-Demand Delivery Partnership

Postmates, the leader in delivering nearly anything on-demand, and TGI Fridays™ announced a partnership to deliver the world-famous restaurant brand's menu on-demand. Now, Postmates customers can enjoy the iconic taste of their favorite TGI Fridays dishes, like potato skins, whisky glaze, sizzling skillets, and more - brought right to their doorsteps, every day and night.

"Third-party delivery is one more way we're bringing the TGI Fridays experience to People of All Stripes," explained the brand's CEO, Ray Blanchette. "Now, everyone can enjoy the tastes that have always made Fridays famous, brought right to their doorsteps. We are pleased to be working with Postmates on this new offering. Their large national presence and reputation for reliable service made them an ideal partner for serving as many TGI Fridays fans as possible with on-demand delivery."

"TGI Fridays was formed to bring people together over the things that everyone can enjoy – like classic food favorites and innovative new culinary creations. We are proud to bring that experience...

Kroger Launches Dark Kitchen Partnership with ClusterTruck

The Kroger Co., and ClusterTruck, a software platform that powers profitable, vertically integrated delivery-only kitchens, today launched a partnership that will change the way Americans access freshly prepared meals. By offering multiple menus from one central scratch kitchen, Kroger Delivery Kitchen will deliver fresh and delicious meals on-demand without service or delivery fees.

For the initial rollout, Kroger Delivery Kitchen Powered by ClusterTruck is launching in Carmel, Indiana – where Kroger and ClusterTruck are jointly opening a fourth kitchen – and Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, King Soopers Delivery Kitchen Powered by ClusterTruck will serve customers in Denver.

"The way our customers order and receive meals is evolving, and ClusterTruck's innovative culinary and...

Packaged Facts: Consumer Use of Restaurant Coupons

Though overall use of coupons is down since 2009, consumer use and redemption of restaurant coupons is up by five percentage points, to about a third of U.S. adults, according to Eating Trends: Restaurant Use, the fourth study in a five report Eating Trends series by market research firm Packaged Facts.

Restaurant coupons have been given a boost by instant, digital, and online/app point-of-sales use through newer delivery services—this is on top of longstanding restaurant coupon use for fast-food pizza chains (including delivery or take-out) or other fast-food chains (including for drive-through).

These services have helped diversify the range of eating establishments and the range of...

Shake Shack Begins Nationwide Delivery with Grubhub 

Today Shake Shack will officially begin delivery nationwide with Grubhub, the nation's leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace. With more than 140 restaurants across the U.S. now available for delivery on Grubhub, diners can order their Shake Shack favorites with free delivery today through November 17th.

"As we begin our integrated partnership with Grubhub, we're focused on creating the best delivery experience for both our restaurant operators and our guests," stated Randy Garutti, chief executive officer of Shake Shack. "We're committed to being an accessible omnichannel business, giving our guests the chance to experience Shake Shack whenever they want it, with...

NPD Group Releases Report on Eating Patterns in America 

A burger has held the crown as the top food ordered at U.S. restaurants for decades, but this year that burger may well be a plant-based burger, according to this year’s edition of The NPD Group’s Eating Patterns in America, which is an annual compilation of the company’s daily tracking of U.S. consumption behavior. U.S. consumers may appear to be creatures of habit in their eating patterns but the foods they eat today have a modern twist that is influenced by a host of factors like ethnicity, age/generational group, and health/social consciousness.

“For 34 years The NPD Group has been tracking eating patterns in America and from a topline view many of the same foods are being consumed today as they were...

What’s Next for Amazon: Expanding AmazonFresh Beyond Online Grocery and into Brick-and-Mortar Stores

Dropping monthly fees associated with AmazonFresh and instead making it a free benefit for Prime members is not just about reenergizing Amazon’s online grocery service. It suggests that Amazon intends to use the brand to grow beyond the limitations imposed by Whole Foods-Prime Now relationship.

Behind the scenes, Amazon has clearly been trying to figure out how to balance AmazonFresh and Prime Now, its 1-2 hour delivery service. Since acquiring Whole Foods in 2017, Amazon seems to have given Prime Now more attention, leveraging...

Whole Foods Market and Amazon Bring Back Popular Turkey Deals

Starting on Wednesday, Amazon and Whole Foods Market will offer special savings on organic and classic turkeys in celebration of Thanksgiving. All customers can choose from select organic ($3.49/lb) and classic turkeys ($2.49/lb), and Prime members will save even more on turkeys ($2.99/lb for organic and $1.99/lb for classic).

All turkeys sold at Whole Foods Market must meet the grocer’s strict quality standards, including no antibiotics ever, no animal by-products in their feed, and animal welfare audits by third-party certifier programs like Global Animal Partnership. The turkey offer runs from Nov. 13 through Nov. 28 while supplies last.

“We know our customers care about where their food comes from, and our turkeys meet some of the highest quality standards in the grocery industry. We are excited to...

Postmates Partners with Dine Brands to Provide On-Demand Delivery

Postmates, the leader in enabling anyone to get nearly anything on-demand, announced today that is has partnered with Dine Brands (NYSE: DIN), the parent company of Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar and IHOP restaurants. Postmates customers can now order from both of these restaurants in the more than 3,500 cities that the company operates in.

"Both Applebee's and IHOP are very popular on the Postmates platform," said Craig Whitmer, VP, Merchant Business Development, Postmates. "We are thrilled to provide customers access to these restaurants in the 3,500+ cities we operate in and as we near the busy holiday season, there is no better time to Postmate It."

From the outset of the partnership, Postmates and Dine Brands will integrate delivery orders directly into...

Grubhub Reports Third Quarter 2019 Results

Grubhub Inc., the nation's leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace, today announced financial results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2019 and also posted a letter to shareholders on its investor relations website. The Company reported revenues of $322 million, which is a 30% year-over-year increase from $247 million in the third quarter of 2018. Gross Food Sales grew 15% year-over-year to $1.4 billion, up from $1.2 billion in the same period last year.

"Our teams had another strong quarter of execution, adding nearly one million active diners and 15,000 restaurants to our platform," said Matt Maloney, Grubhub founder and CEO. "As we detail in our shareholder letter, we are entering the next phase of growth in the U.S. online food ordering industry where...

DoorDash and Impossible Foods Partner to Launch Impossible Cuisine Category 

Impossible Foods, maker of the famously delicious Impossible Burger, today announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with DoorDash, the nation’s largest on-demand destination for door-to-door delivery. DoorDash has created a custom cuisine carousel featuring merchants that offer Impossible menu items in select US cities including San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Miami, D.C., Detroit, Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Dallas, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Orlando, Houston, Pittsburgh, Bellevue, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Las Vegas, and Central Illinois — powering the discovery of even more delicious Impossible food.

DoorDash’s carousels provide discovery and education for customers looking to pair their cravings with comparable restaurants. This is the first time DoorDash has created a plant-based carousel, which will feature...

Giant Food Announces Launch of Giant Delivers

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington D.C. regional grocery chain, announced the launch of Giant Delivers. Formerly known as Peapod by Giant, the new Giant Delivers brand refresh is part of Giant Food's "The Little Things Are Giant" platform which is all about helping customers save time so they can get back to what matters most. Whether filling their virtual cart via web or mobile app, next day home delivery from Giant Delivers is now available to over 6 million shoppers living in over 300 zip codes across the DMV area.

Giant's integrated offerings fit all the ways today's busy consumers want to shop – whether in store, via curbside pickup or home delivery. Giant Delivers has recently...

Starbucks Delivers Comes to Five New U.S. Markets 

Starbucks Coffee Company today announced the latest expansion of Starbucks Delivers to five new U.S. markets, Atlanta, Denver, Phoenix, Philadelphia, and New Jersey, as well as further expansion in the New York Metro. The delivery program, which initially launched as a pilot in partnership with Uber Eats in late 2018, is now available in a total of 16 major U.S. markets and will reach national availability in early 2020.

“Following our recent commitment to make delivery available nationwide in 2020, we are excited to bring Starbucks Delivers to five more major U.S. markets,” said Roz Brewer, group president and chief operating officer for Starbucks. “The expansion of Starbucks Delivers is part of our continuous effort to...

Burger King Partners with Uber Eats for Delivery

All of your favorite flame grilled sandwiches from Burger King restaurants can now be delivered right to your doorstep through Uber Eats. BK guests nationwide can now place a food order, including the iconic Whopper Sandwich, with the tap of a button on the Uber Eats app.

“At Burger King restaurants, delivery is a major priority to ensure our food is available to anyone, anywhere,” said Chris Finazzo, President, North America, Burger King Corporation. “We know our guests value convenience and adding the Burger King brand to Uber Eats is another way we will meet the demands of millions of people on this platform.”

“We’re thrilled to team up with Burger King restaurants to offer their beloved menu items to...

Walmart's InHome Delivery Service Officially Launches in Kansas City, Pittsburgh and Vero Beach

Early this summer, Walmart announced InHome Delivery, its latest innovation aimed toward giving time back to families by delivering fresh groceries and everyday essentials directly into their kitchen or garage fridges. Today, for the first time ever, Walmart is thrilled to launch this new service for over 1 million customers in Pittsburgh, Kansas City (Missouri and Kansas) and Vero Beach.

The company is obsessed with simplifying grocery shopping and finding ways to make customers’ lives easier. That’s why InHome goes the extra step so that customers can live their lives without worrying about making it to the store or being home to accept a delivery.

All it takes to use the service is three simple steps...