Food delivery apps expand into restaurant reservations

I’ve been thinking a lot about how restaurants approach delivery. It’s easy to treat it like a checklist: DoorDash ✅ Uber Eats ✅ Grubhub ✅ But the longer I’ve worked in digital and off-premise, the more I’ve seen that delivery works best when it’s intentionally designed, not just turned on. Delivery is a channel. Strategy is how we show up on that channel. The brands I’ve seen succeed tend to focus on a few things: • A menu that holds quality in transit • Packaging that supports the guest experience • Pricing that protects contribution margin • A pickup flow that keeps in-store ops running smoothly When those pieces work together, delivery doesn’t have to be a margin drag — it can actually support sustainable growth. I’m curious what others are seeing: What’s one small off-premise adjustment that’s made a big difference for your team or brand?

As part of a multi-year strategic global parntership, Toast and Uber will focus on product innovation and other initiatives to help restaurnats retain and grow customer bases. https://lnkd.in/erq8QEfi

Grubhub and Instacart are teaming up to bring a wider selection of grocers, greater convenience, and even better value to Grubhub’s customers. Through our new partnership, Grubhub customers can order from Instacart’s network of more than a thousand national, regional, and local grocery retailers directly through Grubhub’s app and website. We’re excited to elevate the grocery shopping experience for both retailers and customers — and take another step toward making Grubhub the go-to destination for everything from restaurant favorites to everyday grocery essentials. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gZ9ruJAQ

The new partnership between Grubhub and Instacart makes sense for both sides. This deal gives Grubhub an entry into the groceries market, while Instacart’s network of more than 1,000 retailers will be available on a third-party platform for the first time.

DoorDash just entered the reservations game. powered by SevenRooms, it lets guests discover, book, and earn rewards for dining in all inside the DoorDash app. it’s not just another feature. it’s part of a shift. DoorDash is building a full-stack dining ecosystem: discovery, delivery, reservations, loyalty. one app, one identity, theirs, not yours. the move makes sense. OpenTable and Resy own the booking layer, but they don’t touch delivery. DoorDash already has the diner, the data, and the incentives. this just closes the loop. but for operators, the tradeoffs are real: - guest identity starts and ends inside DoorDash. - “no cover fees” won’t last forever. - Dashpass perks and credits reshape behavior inside their ecosystem. my advice: treat this like paid acquisition, not a partnership. - cap it at under 20% of tables. - demand guest data in your CRM. - measure incrementality like a campaign. - and never hand over your VIPs. the tech is smart. the strategy is smarter. just remember who owns the guest.

Operational reliability 🤝scalable demand. By partnering with Toast, Uber Eats is helping give restaurants double the power. 🧾Centralize orders in Toast, alongside payments, loyalty, and reporting 🙋♂️Bring in new guests through the Uber Eats marketplace 🍽️Serve customers directly through your own channels with Uber Direct Learn more about the partnership: https://ubr.to/47EmAr3

DoorDash reported a strong Q3 and the key points sounded very similar to the story told by Uber a couple of days ago (https://lnkd.in/dZvzPf2s). I read that some people think OpenAI will eat them all - I very much doubt that. 1/ What changed this quarter U.S. restaurants accelerated, MAUs and DashPass additions rose, and international unit economics hit an all-time high. Ads kept scaling while unit economics improved. Post quarter, DoorDash closed Deliveroo acquisition, expanding the footprint and membership base in Europe. 2/ Platform and AI DoorDash is unifying DoorDash, Wolt, and Deliveroo on a single AI-native platform - this is a bombastic project! 2026 is mentioned to be the year of the big move, but at first, they’ll keep Deliveroo performing on its current stack, which will be some overhead before consolidating. The company also plans to improve logistics quality via new mapping platform, SmartScale, an Autonomous Delivery Platform, and “Dot,” a purpose-built delivery robot moving toward commercialization in 2026. 3/ New verticals as an on-ramp More consumers are starting in grocery, convenience, and retail and then cross-shopping restaurants - yes, Uber also shared that. Unit economics improved sequentially and YoY while average consumer fees in these categories fell. DoorDash launched DashMart Fulfillment Services to give retailers same-day or same-hour delivery with near-perfect pick accuracy by owning inventory and last-mile flow end to end. 4/ Membership is a core lever for frequency and retention Including Deliveroo, DoorDash now serves 30M+ members across DashPass, Wolt+, and Deliveroo Plus, with record DashPass and Wolt+ adds year to date. Expect DoorDash to keep layering perks, lower fees, and bundles that lift order frequency and shift more restaurant orders from grocery and retail journeys. Uber also called Uber One as a major Delivery driver this quarter. 5/ Merchant growth engine The ads business reached a $1B run rate at high incremental margins - this is crazy how commerce apps are now making money out of thin air. On the B2B side, DoorDash Drive, Storefront, and the SevenRooms CRM stack extend beyond delivery into reservations, marketing, and in-store engagement. 6/ International scale International unit economics reached a new high while MAU growth ticked up. With Deliveroo, the network now spans 40+ countries, 50M+ MAUs, 1M+ merchants, and over $100B annualized GOV. 7/ Orders and money Marketplace GOV $25.0B (+25% YoY) - Total Orders 776M (+21%) - Revenue $3.446B (+27%)

GrubHub Partners with Instacart Fast Five Shorts In a surprising twist, GrubHub and Instacart are teaming up to revolutionize grocery delivery through GrubHub's platform. Dive into the strategic implications as GrubHub, under Mark Lore's Wonder, makes a bold move that could reshape the meal delivery landscape. - GrubHub partners with Instacart for grocery delivery services. - Instacart’s involvement raises strategic questions about future competition. - Chris analyzes the "Greeks bearing gifts" dynamics between the two companies. - Could this be a step toward Mark Lore’s vision of a meal-time super app? - Discussion on whether Instacart might be making a strategic misstep. - Speculation about the potential long-term benefits for both companies. - Analysis sponsored by leading industry groups and firms. - Insight on how this collaboration could influence the broader retail strategy landscape. - Examination of the white-label and third-party delivery implications. - Exploration of the future of meal planning and grocery delivery integration. Quick Action Items: 1. Explore how GrubHub’s partnership with Instacart could impact your business strategy. 2. Consider potential partnerships that could enhance your service offerings. 3. Stay informed about industry shifts and how they might affect your competitive landscape. Is Instacart playing a risky game, or is this a calculated step in a larger strategic plan? From Omni Talk Retail Full Episode https://lnkd.in/g99hXh85

More embedded partnerships on e-commerce/delivery platforms are on the way: Kroger and Uber are partnering to give its online grocery shoppers restaurant delivery options, allowing the platforms to tap into each others’ customer bases and grow order volumes. The Kroger tie-up is similar to one that Uber struck with Instacart last year, in which Instacart embedded the Uber Eats ordering interface in its app. That deal has helped Uber reach Instacart’s more suburban users, while Instacart has seen takeout customers order groceries more often. In a similar move, Grubhub announced Tuesday that it’s partnering with Instacart to integrate its network of grocery stores into the Grubhub app and website. https://lnkd.in/ed3rNNHH

Toast and Uber are deepening their global partnership that began in 2021, highlighting how restaurants’ ordering platforms and delivery networks are working more closely in a competitive market. Starting in the U.S. and Canada, restaurants will have more control across both first and third-party ordering channels. In 2026, Toast merchants will also be able to run Uber Eats promotions and local ads directly from the Toast platform. “Toast’s partnership with Uber is focused on jointly creating a more seamless, integrated experience that gives restaurants more control and flexibility to increase revenue, streamline operations, and attract new diners,” said Aman Narang, CEO of Toast, in a statement. Read More: https://lnkd.in/gJFQ4U73