Launching Jupiter, the Creator-First Recipe and Grocery Shopping Platform

Jupiter, the creator-first recipe and grocery shopping platform, launches today with over 60 individual creator storefronts, including Molly Baz. With Jupiter, creators seamlessly integrate creator's social and web content into beautifully curated, branded, and shoppable recipe stores, where home cooks browse, shop individual recipes for ingredients, manage grocery lists, and get same-day grocery deliveries all from individual storefronts from each food creator.

Available nationwide, Jupiter opens up a world of opportunity, monetization, and brand control and ownership for food creators. Dubbed Jupiter "co-pilots", creators can now...

Brandcrush Expands Solution to U.S. Grocery Retailers

Today, Australia-owned omnichannel media platform Brandcrush announced its expansion in the U.S. market to help grocery retailers and CPG brands drive growth with efficient, centralized media management as the $190 billion retail media market booms worldwide. The U.S. expansion into grocery retail follows Brandcrush's success in Australia and with global D2C retailers, propelled by global businesses' urgent need to modernize their media practices to unlock new revenue, protect margins and grow amid rising inflation.

Brandcrush closes the adtech gap in retail media, offering a unique solution for grocery retailers...

Wendy's Announces Innovative New Global Restaurant Design Standard: "Global Next Gen"

The Wendy's Company announced today a new global restaurant design standard, Global Next Gen, for enhanced customer, crew and digital experiences. Beginning Fall 2022, Wendy's® new traditional restaurant builds will feature a sleek and modern design with an optimized layout and next-generation technology to deliver more Wendy's to more people with an emphasis on convenience, speed and accuracy.

"To accelerate our business and expand our footprint across the globe, we must consistently meet the needs of our customers however they chose to engage with Wendy's, whether that's..."

Subway® Debuts Refreshed Catering Program

As more businesses are calling employees back to the office, they're finding a simple perk can smooth the transition: free meals. In fact, 93% of leaders report that more employees show up to the office on days when the company provides free food.

With more people returning to the workplace and get togethers on the rise, Subway®, one of the world's largest restaurant brands, is serving up a redesigned catering program, complete with new easy-order menu choices, convenient delivery and pick-up options, and improved packaging to make feeding a crowd simple...

Former Disney Chairman and CEO Joins Gopuff as Investor and Advisor

Gopuff, the market-leading and fastest-growing platform for immediate delivery of consumers’ everyday needs, today announced that Bob Iger, former Disney CEO and Chairman, will become an advisor and investor. Mr. Iger will advise co-founders and co-CEOs Yakir Gola and Rafael Ilishayev, and the broader executive team, to help deepen Gopuff’s consumer engagement and growth globally.

“Bob Iger is one of the most important and visionary business leaders of this generation. He defined consumer engagement, product innovation, and organizational excellence,” said Gopuff co-founder and...

GrubMarket Releases Standalone Mobile Ordering Apps for Food Wholesalers and Distributors

GrubMarket, a prominent software technology enabler for the food supply chain industry, today announced the release of custom mobile ordering apps, further extending its eCommerce offerings for suppliers. The apps can function as standalone products or integrate with GrubMarket's innovative and proprietary WholesaleWare software platform, which offers an end-to-end solution for food wholesalers and distributors to manage their entire business digitally. Integrations with other commercial software systems are also available.

The new apps offer a convenient and user-friendly mobile solution for suppliers to streamline their businesses...

Toast and US Foods Renew Strategic Partnership to Help Restaurants Streamline Operations and Thrive

Toast, the all-in-one digital platform purpose-built for the entire restaurant community, today announced the renewal of its strategic partnership with US Foods, a leading foodservice distributor that works with approximately 250,000 restaurants and foodservice operators across the US.

Toast and US Foods share core values of helping restaurants succeed. The renewed partnership will allow both companies to build deeper relationships with restaurant owners and foodservice operators, providing the right technology solutions to save the operator time, grow revenue and improve the customer experience...

Marco's Pizza® Shifts to a 100% Cloud-Based Order Management Technology Platform

Marco's Pizza, one of the nation's fastest-growing pizza brands, unveils a major project to accelerate its digital capabilities and drive growth. The brand's strategic investments in technology and innovation center around migrating to a 100% cloud-based proprietary technology platform - Marco's Order Management System (MOMS).

This platform is designed to improve the customer experience as well as simplify operations for the franchisees and store team members. Testing is currently underway with plans to roll out first into all company-operated stores by year-end, with franchise...

SpartanNash and DoorDash Partner to Scale On-Demand Grocery Offerings

Food solutions company SpartanNash today announced an innovative partnership with local commerce platform DoorDash to expand the Company’s grocery services and solutions across both digital and physical platforms through various different initiatives.

DoorDash is partnering with SpartanNash to offer on-demand grocery delivery from more than 100 SpartanNash owned stores including Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and more. The partnership will also include the opportunity for SpartanNash’s network of 2,100 independent retail customers to leverage both the DoorDash marketplace app and website as well as DoorDash Drive, the white-label...

eGrowcery and DoorDash Partner To Provide On-Demand Delivery for Supermarkets and Other Retailers

eGrowcery, developer of the leading retail food industry eCommerce platform, announces a partnership with DoorDash Drive, DoorDash's white label fulfillment platform that powers direct delivery for businesses, to provide supermarkets with access to an expansive delivery fleet and a flexible delivery solution directly from the eCommerce experience. With the new DoorDash Drive integration, retailers using the eGrowcery platform can now benefit from the scale of DoorDash’s logistics network, all while retaining full autonomy around the eCommerce experience and, critically, owning their own shopper data...

Andy Nguyen Launches First NFT-backed Restaurant Group, Food Fighters Universe

Andy Nguyen and Kevin Seo, the foodpreneurs behind the world's first Bored Ape restaurant, Bored & Hungry, today announce Food Fighters Universe (FFU), an NFT collection that will connect food and Web3. Launching in May, FFU will be a collection of 10,000 unique tokens on the ETH (Ethereum) blockchain. Each purchase will help to develop the world's first NFT-backed restaurant group, focused on building gathering places in real life (IRL) and the metaverse, while offering utility and experiences for Food Fighters NFT holders.

Food Fighters NFTs will grant members...

Wix Partners with DoorDash to Launch On-Demand Delivery for Restaurants

Wix.com Ltd., a leading global SaaS platform to create, manage and grow an online presence, today announced a partnership with DoorDash Drive, DoorDash's white-label fulfillment platform that powers direct delivery for any business, to integrate with Wix Restaurants. The integration provides restaurant owners using Wix Restaurants access to an expansive delivery fleet.

Businesses built on Wix Restaurants can now fulfill delivery orders made directly on their website, their Dine App and their fully Branded App through DoorDash Drive. With this new delivery option, DoorDash Drive can provide...

Digital Foodservice Ordering Continues to Accelerate in Canada

Digital foodservice ordering has been among the lifelines for Canadians throughout the pandemic. Although digital foodservice ordering was growing before the pandemic, the pandemic accelerated its growth, reports The NPD Group. Over the last two years, digital orders for carry-out and delivery from restaurants and other foodservice outlets have increased by 155%, according to NPD’s continual tracking of the Canadian foodservice industry.

Ordering through mobile apps represents the bulk of digital orders. In January 2022, mobile app orders represented 75% of all digital foodservice orders. 20% were internet orders, and 5%...

Tech Policy Expert Joins National Retail Federation

The National Retail Federation today announced that it has hired veteran technology policy expert Michael Lemon to manage NRF’s portfolio of e-commerce and related issues as vice president for legal affairs.

“Mike Lemon has worked on technology-related issues ranging from privacy to intellectual property for more than a decade, both on Capitol Hill and in the private sector,” NRF Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel Stephanie Martz said. “His wealth of experience and expertise will be invaluable as we advocate on behalf of the retail industry on these complex and..."

BurgerFi Selects Hughes to Support its Expanding Enterprise with Managed Network Services

BurgerFi International Inc. ("BurgerFi"), owner of one of the nation's fastest-growing premium fast-casual and casual dining concepts through the BurgerFi brand, and the high quality, casual dining brand Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings ("Anthony's"), selected Hughes Network Systems, LLC (HUGHES), an innovator in multi-transport technologies and networks, to upgrade, optimize and manage network infrastructure and digital signage. The move will support BurgerFi's commitment to provide the best restaurant guest experience while continuing its aggressive expansion up the Eastern Seaboard.

"At BurgerFi, we are committed to..."

Lunchbox Raises $50M Series B Funding to Shake up the Restaurant Industry

Lunchbox, a collection of modern and creative online ordering solutions for enterprise restaurant chains and ghost kitchens, today announced the closing of a $50 million Series B funding round led by Coatue with participation from existing investors Primary and 645 Ventures as well as executives from DoorDash, Sweetgreen, and &pizza.

Since announcing their Series A in October 2020, Lunchbox has saved restaurants over $35 million that would have otherwise gone to third-party ordering platforms. Restaurants including Bareburger, Clean Juice, Fuku, Little Sesame...

Deliverect Raises $150 Million in Series D Funding, as it Reaches 100 Million Orders Processed

Deliverect, a global scale-up that simplifies online ordering for more than 20,000 locations across 40 markets, today announced it secured more than $150 million (€130 million) in Series D funding. The funding, which is led by Coatue and Alkeon Capital as well as existing investors OMERS Ventures, DST Global, Redpoint Ventures, Newion and Smartfin, brings Deliverect to $240 million raised to date. This round marks the company's valuation at over $1.4 billion.

With this latest round of funding, Deliverect... 

SOMOS Launches Meal Kits and More to Replace Americanized Mexican Food with Real Mexican Food

SOMOS officially launches today to replace the Americanized Mexican food found in most pantries with real Mexican - made in Mexico, the way Mexicans make it. With SOMOS, co-founders, former KIND Snacks executives, and real-life amigos, Daniel Lubetzky, Miguel Leal and Rodrigo Zuloaga, want to transform American kitchens into true Mexican cocinas filled with delicious, easy-to-make food from the heart of Mexico. SOMOS, which means "We Are" in Spanish, aspires to connect Mexico and the world by replacing a narrow view...

TGI Fridays Credits Digital Innovation, Craveable Menu for Industry-Leading Performance

TGI Fridays®, the world's first and most recognized casual bar and grill, today announced its year-to-date financial results with 41 consecutive weeks of same-store sales growth versus pre-pandemic numbers in 2019 and double-digit growth in the back half of 2021. This industry-leading performance is driven by its digital channels, where year-to-date sales volumes are up 290 percent compared to 2019; new revenue streams through virtual restaurants; and continuing to offer the craveable food guests have come to love...

C3 Appoints Former Overstock CPO as Chief Product and Technology Officer to Accelerate Innovation

C3 (Creating Culinary Communities), the leading global food tech platform founded by visionary Sam Nazarian, has today announced the appointment of Vikram Raghavan as Chief Product and Technology Officer. Raghavan's extensive expertise will bolster C3's product and technology departments, forging an exciting new path ahead by accelerating the company's prowess in data science, digital marketing, and eCommerce.

Conceptualized in 2019, C3 experienced accelerated growth this past year as the hospitality industry saw massive digital adoption. Raghavan was driven to C3 after observing the pandemic's...

Stop & Shop and Flashfood Team Up to Reduce Food Waste and Save Customers Money on Groceries

Stop & Shop, a neighborhood grocer with more than 400 stores throughout the Northeast, today announced it is rolling out Flashfood to its Pawtucket and Providence, RI, stores following a successful pilot. Flashfood is a digital marketplace that strives to eliminate food waste at the retail level by connecting consumers with discounted food nearing its best by date. As a result of the program’s impact to date, Flashfood has diverted 30 million pounds of food from ending up in landfills throughout the U.S. and Canada...

Uber Eats' Head of Dark Kitchens Joins C3 as Chief Strategy Officer

Sam Nazarian, the innovative Founder and CEO of C3 (Creating Culinary Communities), continues to elevate the global food tech platform's talent roster by naming Pasha Mehran as Chief Strategy Officer. Mehran brings more than a decade of experience to C3's fast growing team where he will oversee joint ventures with celebrity chef-driven restaurants, top digital creators, culinary markets, and ghost kitchen partners, with the goal of expanding C3's footprint across Gen Z and millennial audiences, turning the brand into a household name...

Walmart To Expand InHome Delivery, Reaching 30 Million U.S. Homes in 2022

It’s a new year and Walmart is resolving to bring the convenience of InHome delivery to even more customers in 2022. Today, the retailer is announcing plans to scale the service, going from InHome being available to 6 million households to making it accessible to 30 million U.S. households by the end of the year. To support the expansion, Walmart plans to hire more than 3,000 associate delivery drivers this year as well as build out a fleet of 100% all-electric delivery vans.

“We’ve been operating InHome..."

Chipotle to Open First Chipotlane Digital Kitchen

Chipotle Mexican Grill today announced its first Chipotlane Digital Kitchen restaurant in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. The new prototype offers a Chipotlane and walk-up window for efficient digital order pickup. Located at 994 Graham Road in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the restaurant is scheduled to open later this month.

Chipotlane Digital Kitchen Design

The Chipotlane Digital Kitchen footprint is smaller than a traditional Chipotlane, with no dining room access for guests or a front line. The kitchen is equipped with a make line dedicated to digital orders placed through the Chipotle app and Chipotle.com...

Popmenu Releases Hot Restaurant Trends to Watch in 2022

Despite continued curveballs, most restaurant owners/operators are feeling either very optimistic (30%) or cautiously optimistic (60%) about their outlook for 2022 as they implement strategies that will change experiences for both diners and staff. To provide deeper insight into the current and future restaurant landscape, Popmenu conducted a nationwide survey of 415 U.S. restaurant owners/operators in October 2021 and compiled the findings in a new report filled with must-know trends, real-life examples and a few surprises.

Sample of Key Findings:

- The labor shortage is starving restaurant sales…

Feel Foods to Launch Plant-Based Foods E-Commerce Platform

Feel Foods LTD. announced today it is creating a new e-commerce platform with advanced logistics operations in time for the festive season.

Web developers ‘Able & Howe’ is designing the new e-commerce site with full e-commerce capabilities as well as state-of-the-art inventory control capabilities, ensuring operations are efficient, effective, and uninterrupted. Prior to the upcoming holiday season and the launch of its e-commerce platform, Feel Foods is adding more fulfillment personnel and is ramping up production of its popular, 100%...

Mercatus Survey Reveals 75% of Online Grocery Orders To Be Fulfilled at Grocery Stores

Mercatus, the leading provider in digital commerce solutions for grocery retail, today announced findings from its annual eGrocery survey of U.S. consumers, conducted in collaboration with Incisiv. The report, titled eGrocery Transformed: 2021 market projections and insight into online grocery's elevated future, confirms that U.S. online grocery customers are predominantly oriented towards grocery pickup services with 75% of survey respondents preferring store pickup.

The number of online grocery customers who report using curbside pickup at least once in the last year increased to 61% on average...