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GrubHub.com secures $2 million in Series B funding

Company plans to build the largest online network of restaurants that offer off premises dining options and create innovative products to improve delivery service

GrubHub.com, a leading online service for ordering restaurant takeout and delivery meals, announced today that it has secured a Series B round of financing for $2 million. The deal was co-led by Origin Ventures and Leo Capital, with earlier investor Amicus Capital participating.

The Series B funding will enable the company to build the largest online network of restaurants that deliver; and create new innovative products to enhance user experience and improve the quality of delivery service. GrubHub.com is currently operating in Chicago, IL., New York City, NY, San Francisco, CA, Boston, MA, and recently launched in Philadelphia, PA.

 “Over the last year, GrubHub.com has successfully accelerated its sales growth in the top metro delivery markets.” said Randy Rissman, Leo Capital managing partner. “This investment will allow GrubHub.com to continue to build the technology and business team required to expand its customer reach geographically and product wise.”

GrubHub.com, which first launched in Chicago in 2004, secured Series A funding in 2007 through Amicus Capital, Origin Ventures and several angel investors, allowing the company to rapidly expand into the top three delivery markets – New York City, San Francisco and Boston.  The company has quickly outpaced its initial goals. Last year, GrubHub.com placed over $20 million in restaurant delivery orders and is currently partnered with over half of the delivery restaurants in all its existing markets.

“We’ve seen healthy growth over the last year even though the economy has been steadily going in the opposite direction,” said Matt Maloney, GrubHub.com co-founder and CEO. “With funding dollars drying up in the current economic climate, this recent round of financing is a show of confidence from the investment community. We plan to continue GrubHub.com’s rapid geographic expansion and launching innovative tools to make off premises dining easier and faster over the next year.”

GrubHub.com has been a pioneer in online ordering, developing the first automated phone confirmation system for online restaurant delivery orders and the first iPhone application for ordering food. The company was also at the forefront of organizing and listing all restaurant delivery information in each market it services. With the new funding, GrubHub.com will continue to enhance its product development and technology with additional smart phone applications and new interactive consumer-facing content on the site.

GrubHub.com is currently looking to add rock star employees to its growing team. For more information, please visit www.grubhub.com/careers/.

About GrubHub.com

GrubHub.com came into existence in 2004. Matt Maloney and Mike Evans, two Chicago software developers, frustrated by the lack of restaurant delivery and takeout information available on the Internet, built a comprehensive Web site for users to find out who delivered to their exact addresses.

For more information or to discover who delivers anywhere in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New York and Philadelphia, visit http://www.grubhub.com.

About Leo Capital 

Leo Capital Holdings, LLC is a privately funded venture investor based in Northbrook, IL., making investments in early stage consumer-oriented companies. The firm works with companies that target large markets and makes investments across the United States.

About Origin Ventures

Origin Ventures is a venture capital firm based in Northbrook, IL., investing in early-stage companies. The firm invests capital and leverages its principal’s entrepreneurial, marketing and management expertise to help facilitate the growth of early-stage companies.

About Amicus Capital

Amicus Capital is a seed stage information technology investment fund, based in San Francisco, CA. The firm invests in entrepreneurs who are developing innovative information technology solutions to problems that affect large numbers of businesses or consumers.

GrubHub.com Launches in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PAGrubHub.com, a leading online service for ordering restaurant takeout and delivery meals, announced today the launch of their Web site in Philadelphia. GrubHub.com is currently operating in Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Boston, and now in Philadelphia. A wide selection of cuisines from over 1,500 of these cities’ most popular restaurants, combined with interactive menus and top notch customer service, have all contributed to GrubHub.com’s rapid growth over the past four years.

“The recession has thus far done little to hamper our momentum,” said Matt Maloney, founder and CEO of GrubHub.com “With an increasing number of cost-conscious consumers opting to stay at home and get their food delivered rather than eating out, we thought this was an opportune time to expand our business into Philadelphia.” GrubHub.com is one of the few consumer-facing companies to be reporting solid increases in sales last year.

“GrubHub.com’s online service provides an easy and efficient way for people to order from their neighborhood restaurants, and it drives profits directly to those restaurants,” said Stephen Starr, famed Philadelphia, New York and Atlantic City restaurateur. “Working with GrubHub.com will allow us to expand our opportunities for growth.”

Who delivers or offers carryout service? GrubHub.com answers this question with a simple search. When users type in their address on GrubHub.com, the site displays every menu for every restaurant that delivers to that location, with the appropriate hours for delivery, any available coupons, reviews and star ratings.

Using GrubHub.com is free and orders may be placed over the phone or through GrubHub.com’s online ordering system at no charge. When you open an account with GrubHub.com, you can even keep a virtual menu drawer with Past Orders, Favorite Menus, My Reviews, and Account Info. Even better, you are able to order the food you want through the Web site and leave notes to the delivery driver about how to access your building.

“The economic landscape has changed dramatically over the past year, and restaurants who want to survive this tough market need to look for more innovative ways to compete,” said acclaimed Philadelphia chef and restaurateur Susanna Foo. “We feel partnering with GrubHub.com will help increase our delivery business.”

About GrubHub.com
GrubHub.com came into existence in 2004. Matt Maloney and Mike Evans, two Chicago software developers, frustrated by the lack of restaurant delivery and takeout information available on the Internet, built a comprehensive Web site for users to find out who delivered to their exact addresses.

For more information or to discover who delivers anywhere in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, New York and Philadelphia, visit http://www.grubhub.com.

Order Delivery on the Go from the iPhone with GrubHub.com

GrubHub.com launches iPhone web application today to make online ordering for delivery available outside of the reach of a computer. Whether on the way home from work or out at the bar, fresh food is now only a couple of clicks away with GrubHub.com on the iPhone.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) 7.24.2008 Ordering food delivery on the go has never been easier with GrubHub.com’s iPhone web application. GrubHub.com, the online takeout and delivery restaurant guide for Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, and Manhattan, launched its iPhone friendly version today, allowing users to order food without having to be in front of the computer. From checking the weather to mapping out locations, iPhone users can now add ordering takeout and delivery to the list of cool functions on their high-tech device. Users type in the address or zip code of where they are or where they are going and receive a list of restaurants that deliver directly to that location.

The GrubHub.com iPhone Web application displays all of the information normally found on GrubHub.com in a format easily viewable on the iPhone. Users can find restaurants by type of cuisine, view star ratings and read reviews of the restaurants placed by other GrubHub users. The iPhone version of GrubHub offers users the ability to call the restaurant directly from the iPhone or use the site’s online ordering system, which provides the restaurant’s full menu.

“We’re trying to help users avoid long wait times at home by providing them a way to order easily on their way home so that the food arrives right after they do,” said CEO and co-founder Matt Maloney. “Whether you’re at a friend’s place or out at the bar, great food is just a touch away. The iPhone Web application makes ordering food anywhere that much easier.”

About GrubHub.com GrubHub.com came into existence in 2004. Matt Maloney and Mike Evans, two Chicago software developers frustrated by the lack of restaurant delivery and takeout information available on the Internet, built a comprehensive Web site for users to find out who delivered to their exact addresses. When users type in their address on GrubHub.com, the site displays all of the restaurants that deliver to that location, with the appropriate hours for delivery, full menus, available coupons, reviews and star ratings. Users can order for free by phone or online with participating restaurants using GrubHub?s online ordering system. For more information or to discover who delivers anywhere in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, or Manhattan, visit http://www.grubhub.com/.

GrubHub.com Partners with DiningIn for More Extensive Restaurant Selection and Half Off Delivery Fees

GrubHub.com, the most comprehensive delivery Web site, partners with restaurant delivery service DiningIn to add over 200 additional restaurants available for delivery in the Chicago and Boston area. DiningIn will also offer 50% off delivery fees on any online order exclusively for GrubHub.com users.

Chicago, IL (PRWEB) September 12, 2008 — GrubHub.com announced a partnership today with restaurant delivery service DiningIn to add over 200 Chicago and Boston area restaurants to its Web Site. The partnership will offer GrubHub users more delivery choices. Dining In is an extension for the hospitality industry, providing a delivery service for restaurants that do not currently deliver. As an exclusive offer to GrubHub.com, Dining In is also offering 50% off its delivery fees when users order online through GrubHub.com.

DiningIn’s restaurant partners include popular restaurants like Jae’s Cafe, Portillo’s, Maggiano’s, Kennedy’s Midtown Grill, Rosebud and Weber Grill. The partnership allows GrubHub users to order from these restaurants and others at a reduced price. Users can view menus and available coupons, read reviews, and order for free by phone or on the Web site using GrubHub’s online ordering system. DiningIn’s large selection of restaurants adds to GrubHub’s diverse list of delivery choices, now over 7,000 in Chicago, Boston, San Francisco and New York City.

“Our mission has always been to provide our users with information on the delivery options available in their area. Partnering with DiningIn now allows us to cover not only the restaurants that deliver themselves, but also those that use DiningIn for their delivery services. The fact that we can pass on a discount in the process makes this even more exciting for us,” said GrubHub.com CEO Matt Maloney.

“The partnership between Dining In and GrubHub.com is an exciting opportunity for both companies to combine strengths. We’re really looking forward to adding significant value to our shared community of customers,” said Lindsey Webster, Marketing Director for DiningIn.

About GrubHub.com GrubHub.com came into existence in 2004. Matt Maloney and Mike Evans, two Chicago software developers frustrated by the lack of restaurant delivery and takeout information available on the Internet, built a comprehensive Web site for users to find out who delivered to their exact addresses. When users type in their address on GrubHub.com, the site displays all of the restaurants that deliver to that location, with the appropriate hours for delivery, full menus, available coupons, reviews and star ratings. Users can order for free by phone or online with participating restaurants using GrubHub’s online ordering system. For more information or to discover who delivers anywhere in Chicago, San Francisco, Boston, or Manhattan, visit http://www.grubhub.com/.

About Dining In Dining In is a sales and distribution organization engaged with the nation’s leading restaurants. Current owner, Michael Hackel began the company in 1987 on the belief that everyone should be able to enjoy their favorite restaurant foods from the comfort of their home or office. Originally started in Boston, Dining In is now the country’s largest service serving Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver and Philadelphia.

GrubHub.com and Sittercity.com Partner to Simplify Parents’ Night Out

CHICAGO, March 4 /PRNewswire/ — GrubHub.com and Sittercity.com are partnering to make it easier for parents to enjoy an evening out. The leading restaurant delivery guide and ordering service and the leading online caregiving resource will work together to ensure that parents feel confident that their children will get a nutritious and delicious dinner, even on evenings when they’re home with a babysitter.

Beginning today, GrubHub.com and Sittercity.com will cross-promote each other’s services to their respective members. The Sittercity website will enable parents who’ve just booked a babysitter to easily click over to GrubHub to order a meal for the sitters and the kids, giving parents more time to focus on their evening out instead of whipping up dinner before running out the door. In addition, GrubHub.com will encourage their members who are parents to order in for the kids — even on evenings when they may be going out.

“For many parents, an evening out away from the kids is a rare event,” Genevieve Thiers, founder and CEO of Sittercity. “By partnering with GrubHub we are making it easy for parents to quickly and easily take care of dinner for the kids, so they can focus on enjoying their kid-free date night. Using GrubHub.com is a free and easy way for parents to make sure the kids get a delicious and nutritious meal, even when they can’t be home to cook.”

“Too often, hiring a babysitter means whipping up a box of mac and cheese before rushing out the door,” said Matt Maloney, CEO of GrubHub.com. “This partnership brings families many more options. Some parents might decide to start a new tradition of treating the kids to a pizza on evenings when the sitter comes over, or others might want to change it up each time or focus on healthier alternatives. Whatever cuisine they choose, GrubHub and Sittercity will make sure parents have a free and easy way to check dinner for the kids off of their long to-do lists.”

About GrubHub.com

Who Delivers? GrubHub.com answers this question with a unique restaurant delivery search. Users simply enter their location through an intuitive online interface and GrubHub.com displays all of the menus, coupons, and delivery information for every restaurant that delivers to that address. Using GrubHub.com is free and orders may be placed over the phone or through GrubHub’s online ordering system at no charge. GrubHub.com purchases carbon credits to offset greenhouse gas emissions for every food delivery placed through the website. Ordering through GrubHub is the only way to ensure your food delivery order will not contribute to climate change. For more information or to discover who delivers anywhere in Chicago, Boston or San Francisco, visit http://www.grubhub.com.

About Sittercity.com

Sittercity.com(R), the inventor of online caregiving, is America’s most trustworthy source for childcare and petcare, dedicated to making the process of finding a caregiver fast, easy, safe and fun. With access to hundreds of thousands of sitters nationwide, parents of children or pets can find a wealth of qualified caregivers in their area by using Sittercity’s four-step screening process, which includes references, parent-to-parent feedback, personal interviews and free access to background checks. Registration for sitters is free, and parents pay as little as $8 per month for a membership, which gives them unlimited ability to post jobs, and search, contact and hire sitters in their areas. A true pioneer in its field, Sittercity.com has been featured by hundreds of media outlets; from the Today Show to the Big Idea with Donny Deutsch to the Wall Street Journal. Sittercity won first place in the 2007 UPS Small Business “Out of the Box” contest as well as a 2007 International Davey Award. Sittercity also won the U.S. Small Business Administration Champion Award in 2006 from President Bush, received a Webby Worthy Award in 2005 and won the 2005 Women’s Business Development Center Rising Star Award. For more information, visit the company Web site at http://www.sittercity.com.

GrubHub.com Supports Meals-on-Wheels Chicago in National Takeout & Delivery Week.

GrubHub.com and Meals on Wheels Celebrate National Take-Out & Delivery Week
Sunday, January 28 to Sunday, February 4, 2007

(CHICAGO, IL) January 26, 2007 – GrubHub.com and Meals on Wheels Chicago announce National Take-Out & Delivery Week, beginning one week before the biggest delivery holiday of the year, Super Bowl Sunday, February 4th. For each take out & delivery order placed through GrubHub.com any time Sunday, January 28 to Sunday, February 4, a meal will be donated to Meals on Wheels, a not-for-profit organization providing food to the senior citizen and disabled community. GrubHub.com is Chicago?s premier online resource for take-out and delivery dining options.

The most popular delivery website in Chicago with more than 1800 restaurants listed, take-out experts GrubHub.com share the following fun facts surrounding National Take-Out & Delivery Week:

* 20 percent of families order takeout and or delivery per week
* One in seven families order takeout/delivery during the Superbowl Sunday
* Pizza is the number one meal item ordered, followed by ribs, sushi and Mexican

“We want everyone to cheer on our Bears and help Chicago at the same time,” says co-founder of GrubHub.com Matt Maloney. “Getting to the Superbowl is a huge victory for this city and being a local business, GrubHub.com would like to do our part also. By donating a meal for every order placed, we’re allowing Chicagoans to join us help our less fortunate neighbors by ordering a pizza, ribs, or pad thai while celebrating a Bears championship.”

About GrubHub.com
GrubHub.com is a Chicago-based free restaurant search engine offering delivery options dependent on location. The resource features restaurant menus, customer reviews, and delivery information for all delivery restaurants in Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City.

About Meals on Wheels Chicago
Meals on Wheels Chicago’s mission is to ensure homebound senior citizens and disabled individuals are able to maintain dignified and independent lifestyles by providing them with warm, nutritious meals and related services. Meals on Wheels Chicago (also known as the Chicago Fund on Aging and Disability) began in 1987 as a joint private-public venture between the City of Chicago and concerned citizens. Working with Open Kitchens, a state-of-the-art food production facility, Meals on Wheels Chicago offers recipients a free three-tiered food plan of hot, chilled and frozen meals. For more information, visit www.mealsonwheelschicago.org.

Grubhub.com Wins the University of Chicago New Venture Challenge

Local Website that Shows Users “Who Delivers” Wins $25,000 and Continues to Gain National Recognition at Prestigious Competition

CHICAGO A national panel of venture capitalists awarded GrubHub.com, a website founded in Chicago by two friends, first place out of over 60 entries in the 10th Annual Edward L. Kaplan New Venture Challenge at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business. Winners were selected based upon the uniqueness of product and services, fulfilling an unmet need, exceeding customer expectations and the likelihood of market success.

GrubHub.com is the only way for people to find all of the restaurants that deliver to them. Users simply enter their address into the website and GrubHub.com returns the menus, coupons, and delivery information for all of the restaurants that deliver to that location. GrubHub.com is totally free for users because it is in the business of lead generation for delivery restaurants.

“What an ingenious idea,” said Michael Alter CEO of SurePayroll, Inc, #53 of the Inc. 500 fastest growing companies. “Its so simple and absolutely useful, everyone should use GrubHub.com!”

Today GrubHub.com serves over 75,000 users per month and is growing by 30% every month. Last year, Chicagoans placed over 2 million dollars in orders for delivery through GrubHub.com. Users can call the restaurants to place a delivery order or use GrubHub.com’s online ordering system.

Founded by Mike Evans and Matt Maloney, both of whom have masters degrees in computer science and used to work at Apartments.com, GrubHub.com has been a labor of love until now. “We have called every restaurant in the city of Chicago to get our data,” said Mike Evans, “We maxed out our cell phone minutes, our credit cards, and not to mention our wives’ patience, but this recognition is absolutely worth the sacrifice.”

GrubHub.com is using the prize money to fund a national expansion to San Francisco, Seattle, New York City, Boston, and Washington D.C..

Widely held as the premier business school for budding entrepreneurs, the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business created The New Venture Challenge in 1996 as a way to promote entrepreneurship. Now in its 10th year, the competition has launched 30 new companies that have attracted more than $100 million in funding. The Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity also supported the competition by donating a portion of the prize money.

Contestants were judged based on their prospects for success, quality of their business plan, and a final presentation to a panel of 19 distinguished judges and over 200 spectators at the University of Chicago on May 25, 2006.

About the Edward L. Kaplan New Venture Challenge

Founded in 1996, the New Venture Challenge is designed to encourage students to turn their entrepreneurial ideas into reality. This year, cash prizes of $50,000 were be awarded to student teams of entrepreneurs who submitted business plans showing significant promise and business potential.

The road to the finals began with 64 student groups, each with a business plan. During the spring quarter, the field was narrowed to 31. Only nine teams made the finals. Student teams had 15 minutes to pitch their plans to a panel of 19 judges made up of top venture capitalists and entrepreneurs from all over the U.S.

About the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship

The Michael P. Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship, located at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, supports entrepreneurial development through its cutting-edge curriculum, faculty research, experiential learning, and community outreach programs.

About the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business

The University of Chicago Graduate School of Business is one of the oldest and largest business schools in the world. It offers full-time and part-time MBA programs, a PhD program, and open enrollment executive education.

About GrubHub.com

Who Delivers? GrubHub.com seeks to answer this question with a unique restaurant delivery search. Users simply enter their location through an intuitive online interface and GrubHub.com displays all of the menus, coupons, and delivery information for every restaurant that delivers to that address. Using GrubHub.com is free and orders may be placed over the phone or through GrubHub.com’s online ordering system at no charge.

GrubHub.com has over 1300 delivery restaurants listed in Chicago and also covers Milwaukee, San Francisco, and New York City. GrubHub.com has been featured on NPR, Fox Morning News, and various online publications including the Chicagoist, the Sfist, Gapers Block, and Daily Candy.