New Features in Grubhub for Restaurants Portal Help Restaurateurs Grow Their Business

When it comes to running a business, we know how important it is for restaurateurs to easily understand all facets of their operations. That’s why we originally created the Grubhub for Restaurants (GFR) portal — a place where restaurateurs receive orders through Grubhub, see their order and sales volume, run promotions, rate drivers, adjust their menu and hours and more. As restaurateurs demand more from their partners, we continuously make improvements to GFR to account for their feedback and make sure we’re providing a valuable tool for our partners.

Today, we’re excited to announce the latest updates to GFR. These were developed based on feedback from our partners, including the request from restaurateurs to segment out order and sales volume by audience, automatically request refund adjustments and easily request a photoshoot as their menu changes. 

“We want the Grubhub for Restaurants portal to be an all-in-one platform for our partners, and we’re excited to roll out new tools and insights to help them reach their business goals,” said Liz Bosone, vice president of restaurant success at Grubhub. “Satisfaction with Grubhub from our partners is incredibly important to us, and we believe that improvements like these drive incremental day-to-day and long-term value to our partners. We’re committed to continuing to address feedback from our partners and add more features to GFR that provide even better service to our restaurants.”

Customer Insights

Restaurants value providing exceptional service to their customers since they know it keeps them coming back, and in order to best serve them, they need to know how they behave. Our partners have asked us for more insights into their customers, and we’ve listened. Now, restaurateurs will see a tab within GFR labeled Insights. Within that tab, they can navigate to Customer Insights and filter their sales and order metrics by new or returning diners and Grubhub+ or non-Grubhub+ customers. 

With this addition, they can select up to a full year of aggregated data at a time and compare sales and order metrics. As a result, they are able to better understand their customers’ ordering behaviors and can strategically adjust their marketing efforts on Grubhub accordingly. This is just the first iteration of insights that we’ll be adding to GFR. As we continue to receive feedback from our partners, we’ll continue to build on this feature. 

 

 

Self-Serve Refund Requests

We always aim for things to go right during deliveries, but when things don’t go as planned — whether that’s because a drink got spilled, an item was missing or something else — it’s not clear to our partners who is on the hook for the refund — us or them. Now, restaurateurs can automatically request an adjustment directly in GFR to dispute a refund. This was previously a manual process requiring them to chat or call into Grubhub Care. This new automatic process now cuts the time spent disputing refunds from 10 minutes to 1 minute. 

Restaurateurs can dispute a charge up to 30 days after the original order date, and all they have to do is click into the specific order ID, hit the “Dispute adjustment” button and select a reason for the dispute. Once they submit a dispute, an agent will look into the refund and respond within 24 hours. With this update, we’re doing right by our partners and giving them back valuable time that they can spend running their businesses and serving customers.

 

 

Self-Serve Photoshoot Access

Having images on a menu can lead to 70% more orders and 65% higher sales for our partners, and to help drive higher photo coverage and quality on menus, we’re increasing how often we present our partners with the opportunity to book a photoshoot in the GFR portal. 

We know that menus change often, especially seasonally, and with that comes the need for different photos. Today, we’re updating the opt-out experience so that restaurateurs can snooze the banner for 30 days after they first select the “I’m not interested” button. The banner will return every 30 days after an opt-out and every 90 days after a booking. Our goal with this update is to better understand our partners’ needs and provide them with flexible options that support their business objectives.

 

To stay up to date on the latest updates in GFR, visit here.

New Grubhub Partnerships Aim to Make Delivery Worker E-Bike Usage Safer, More Sustainable

The E-Bike Lifecycle safety program will provide NYC delivery workers access to more than a thousand safety certified JOCO e-bikes, support FDNY Foundation educational campaign

Grubhub announced today several new initiatives aimed at creating a safer, more sustainable environment for delivery workers that utilize e-bikes in New York City, including a pilot program with JOCO, a leading delivery e-bike rental platform founded in New York City in 2021. The JOCO partnership will provide at least 500 delivery partners free access to more than a thousand safety certified e-bikes, as well as more than 55 JOCO hubs for continuous safe e-bike storage, battery exchange and distribution of delivery rider gear.

JOCO delivery biker
JOCO delivery biker

Grubhub is also working collaboratively with City leaders, the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY), and industry partners to advance the safety of the entire e-bike lifecycle. Key initiatives include a $100,000 grant from the Grubhub Community Fund to the FDNY Foundation, an organization working to spread awareness and education about safe practices for using lithium-ion batteries

“Delivery workers are essential to thousands of communities and businesses, including Grubhub’s, and helping to ensure their safety – and the safety of all New Yorkers – is a top priority,” said Amy Perlik Healy, vice president of government relations at Grubhub. “These new partnerships are an expansion of our ongoing work to address safe use of e-bikes and handling of batteries by delivery partners, and we will explore any reasonable means to prevent tragic fires from occurring in the future.” 

Beginning mid-June 2023, select Grubhub delivery partners will receive JOCO credits they may use for partial day, daily or weekly e-bike rentals. The initial program will allow Grubhub and JOCO to gather learnings that will inform the companies’ long-term approach to creating a safer e-bike ecosystem for delivery workers. ​​Grubhub will also sponsor a JOCO rest stop hub for delivery workers, beginning in June.

“Our cutting-edge platform provides gig workers and businesses with instant access to certified e-bikes without any initial investment,” said Jonathan Cohen, JOCO co-founder. “We’re delighted to partner with Grubhub in extending our services to a wider delivery community while ensuring secure charging facilities. As we celebrate Earth Week, we’re thrilled to stay committed to our mission of reducing the number of cars and trucks on the road for last-mile delivery.”

JOCO utilizes proprietary, fireproof battery charging cabinets that have been tested at a nationally recognized testing laboratory, each with its own fire safety extinguisher. JOCO’s batteries are certified to IEC 62133 standard, one of the most important standards for exporting lithium-Ion batteries into global markets.

JOCO delivery biker
JOCO delivery biker

“We know that micro-mobility devices are here to stay, and the FDNY is constantly exploring best practices for how to use them safely,” said FDNY Foundation Executive Director Jean O’Shea. “We are grateful for the support of industry partners like Grubhub for helping us spread the important messages of safety and prevention surrounding lithium-ion batteries.”

As Grubhub’s E-Bike Lifecycle safety program continues to evolve, the company is in active discussions with partners to establish a battery recycling program to take-in non-certified devices.

Grubhub is eager to continue working with NYC leaders, FDNY, and industry partners to address this issue by spreading public awareness and directly communicating with delivery partners about safe e-bike use, while preserving access for the delivery workers who rely on them and tackling the clear need for better charging infrastructure. Learn more about Gruhbub’s current and future driver safety initiatives here

 

About Grubhub
Grubhub is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com (LSE: JET, AMS: TKWY), and is a leading U.S. food ordering and delivery marketplace. Dedicated to connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms, and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features more than 365,000 restaurant partners in over 4,000 U.S. cities.

About JOCO
JOCO is the first end-to-end platform that enables gig workers and companies to seamlessly use light electric vehicles (LEVs) for last mile delivery. JOCO’s high tech platform and LEV infrastructure network removes all the hassle of owning, storing, charging and maintaining a bike. JOCO has a strong social mission, having already helped thousands of couriers and companies complete millions of deliveries without any upfront investment. With carbon emissions and congestion at an all time high, JOCO is on a pursuit to bring cleaner air to the world and remove cars and trucks off the streets for last mile delivery. JOCO is currently operating in NYC, Chicago and Miami. JOCO was Co-Founded by Jonathan Cohen and Jonathan A. Cohen (no relation).

About FDNY Foundation
The FDNY Foundation is the official not-for-profit organization of the Fire Department, established in 1981 to promote Fire Safety and to fund professional development, training, and education programs. FDNY Foundation supports FDNY in protecting lives and property of those who work, live and visit New York City through its various programs that provide new equipment, training and support for all FDNY members.

Grubhub Created a Pastrami-Inspired Martini So Diners Can Toast to the Series Finale of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Prime Video

Starting today, Manhattan diners can pre-order the Maisel Tov Martini, a first-of-its-kind delivery experience exclusively on Grubhub

Chicago, IL April 11, 2023 – Mazel Tov, or should we say Maisel Tov! Grubhub is giving fans of the award-winning Prime Video series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel a taste of Midge’s two favorite things, Jewish deli fare and a stiff drink, with the exclusive Maisel Tov Martini. Fans who live in Manhattan can raise a glass to Midge just in time for the premiere of the series finale on April 14 by pre-ordering now on Grubhub using code MaiselTov at checkout from the Marvelous Café, a virtual Grubhub restaurant concept created for the special occasion.

The Maisel Tov Martini will be available only on Grubhub to Manhattan diners in celebration of the season 5 premiere of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

The Maisel Tov Martini is crafted by renowned NYC mixologist Pamela Wiznitzer. In this unique, savory take on the classic gin martini, diners can anticipate hints of caraway in the vermouth that ties in the rye bread and a perfectly seasoned olive with the savory spices of the rub. The cocktail comes with a special oil that uses the ingredients found in the brine and rub of pastrami, which is shaken thoroughly into the martini to create a richness that tastes like biting into the pastrami, while keeping it vegetarian.

Orders of the Maisel Tov Martini include everything fans need to enjoy the cocktail at home, including bottles of the specialty cocktail for two, garnishes, a cocktail shaker, two martini glasses and preparation instructions, with dazzling packaging inspired by Midge’s signature style. Along with the cocktail, diners can choose among three sandwich options – pastrami, corned beef, or turkey on rye, or a stuffed cabbage entrée from The Marvelous Café to pair with the beverage. Each kit also includes a pickle, a potato knish and a black and white cookie for a complete deli-inspired experience from the comfort of home.

The entire Maisel Tov Martini experience is available for delivery on April 14 and April 15 from 2:30 – 8pm ET only in Manhattan via Grubhub for $29.95. Diners can pick their preferred date and time, must be 21+ and have a valid photo I.D. upon delivery. With only 1,000 kits available, orders are limited to 1 kit per customer. Available delivery time slots will close as orders fill up. Full terms and conditions can be found here.

“The Maisel Tov Martini experience is just one of the ways we are excited to expand our yearlong Grubhub collaboration,” said Jennifer Verdick, head of partnerships and consumer events for Prime Video. “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has a history of incredible alignments, and we feel that Grubhub and Prime Video are a perfect pairing to bring this exclusive offering to life.”

The Maisel Tov Martini experience is part of Prime Video and Grubhub’s ongoing “Tune In & Takeout” series, which helps people figure out what to watch and what to eat through unique food pairings and promos that connect to their favorite shows and movies on Prime Video. Grubhub has delivered exclusive experiences with the premieres of Harlem and Shotgun Wedding, and diners can expect to see even more unexpected collaborations throughout the year with upcoming releases like Citadel.

“We’re thrilled to continue our collaboration with Amazon Prime and Prime Video with our latest Tune In & Takeout series activation, bringing Grubhub and Prime members even more value and unexpected surprises, like the delicious pastrami-inspired martini,” said Marnie Boyer, vice president of marketing at Grubhub. “Since July, millions of Prime members have signed-up for the free, one-year Grubhub+ membership trial, which is a testament to what people are looking for today – convenience, savings and exclusive experiences.”

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is just one of the many award-winning series available with Prime membership. Prime members in the U.S. enjoy savings, convenience, and entertainment, all in one single membership, and members in the U.S. can still sign-up for a one-year Grubhub+ trial membership for free by visiting amazon.com/grubhub. In addition to $0 delivery fees on eligible orders, Grubhub+ members get access to member-only perks and rewards from thousands of participating restaurants across the country, additional fees apply.

About Grubhub
Grubhub is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com (LSE: JET, AMS: TKWY), and is a leading U.S. food ordering and delivery marketplace. Dedicated to connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms, and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features more than 365,000 restaurant partners in over 4,000 U.S. cities.

About  The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, from renowned creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and executive producer Daniel Palladino, is written and directed by Sherman-Palladino and Palladino, and stars Emmy winner Rachel Brosnahan, four-time Emmy winner Tony Shalhoub, three-time Emmy winner Alex Borstein, Emmy nominee Marin Hinkle, Michael Zegen, Kevin Pollak, Caroline Aaron, Screen Actors Guild Award winner Reid Scott, Alfie Fuller, and Jason Ralph.

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has won 20 Emmy awards, including Outstanding Comedy Series; three Golden Globes, including Best TV Series – Comedy; six Critics Choice Awards, including Best Comedy Series; two Producers Guild of America Awards; a Writers Guild of America Award; and a Peabody Award.

About Prime Video

Prime Video offers customers a vast collection of movies, series, and sports—all available to watch on hundreds of compatible devices.

  • Included with Prime Video: Watch movies, series, and sports, including Thursday Night Football. Enjoy series and films including Emmy winners The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, Emmy-nominated satirical superhero drama The Boys, and the smash hits The Lord of The Rings: The Rings of Power, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Shotgun Wedding, Samaritan, Thirteen Lives, The Tender Bar, Being the Ricardos, The Tomorrow War, Reacher, and Coming 2 America. Prime members also get access to licensed content.
  • Prime Video Channels: Prime members can add channels like discovery+, Paramount+, BET+, MGM+, Noggin, NBA League Pass, MLB.TV, STARZ, and SHOWTIME—no extra apps to download, and no cable required. Only pay for the ones you want, and cancel anytime. View the full list of channels available at amazon.com/channels.
  • Rent or Buy: Enjoy new-release movies to rent or buy, entire seasons of current TV shows available to buy, and special deals just for Prime members.
  • Instant access: Watch at home or on the go with your choice of hundreds of compatible devices. Stream from the web or using the Prime Video app on your smartphone, tablet, set-top box, game console, or select smart TV.
  • Enhanced experiences: Make the most of every viewing with 4K Ultra HD- and High Dynamic Range (HDR)-compatible content. Go behind the scenes of your favorite movies and TV shows with exclusive X-Ray access, powered by IMDb. Save it for later with select mobile downloads for offline viewing.

Prime Video is just one of many shopping, savings, and entertainment benefits included with a Prime membership, along with fast, free shipping on millions of Prime-eligible items at Amazon.com, ultrafast grocery delivery and pickup, unlimited photo storage, exclusive deals and discounts, prescription savings, and access to ad-free music, books, and games. To sign-up or start a 30-day free trial of Prime, visit: amazon.com/prime.

Grubhub’s Support for New York City Council Proposal to Update Price Control

At a hearing held by the City Council’s Committee on Consumer and Workforce Protection today, Grubhub stood with independent businesses in support of Int. 0813, which would amend New York City’s permanent price control on third-party delivery apps and give restaurants the flexibility to opt into additional marketing and promotional services should they choose to do so. 

The amendment, which also safeguards access to Grubhub and other platforms at accessible low rates, ensures that small and medium-sized restaurants, especially New York City’s family and immigrant-owned businesses, can choose to pay for additional services that allow them to better compete, reach new customers and thrive. 

“Hundreds of restaurants from across the five boroughs have made it clear they support legislation that would allow them to make their own marketing decisions and better compete with big brands,” said Dave Tovar, senior vice president of communications and government relations at Grubhub. “Our restaurant partners choose to buy services like search engine marketing and optimization, loyalty and rewards programs and more through Grubhub, where they are far less expensive and more effective for reaching diners. We urge the City Council to act with urgency in passing this amendment so that restaurants can either retain their current rates or choose to explore other options that work best for their businesses.” 

More than half of the City Council currently cosponsors the bill. Over five hundred restaurants,  alongside the chambers of commerce from the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan and dozens of other civic groups, have also voiced their support for this commonsense change. 

Grubhub and Transact Campus Expand Partnership with First-of-Its-Kind Integrated Mobile Ordering Solution

Students on Transact-enabled campuses can order from off-campus restaurants through the Grubhub Marketplace using their campus card

CHICAGO and PHOENIXMarch 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Grubhub, a leading food ordering and delivery marketplace, and Transact Campus “Transact,” the award-winning leader in innovative mobile credential and payment solutions for a connected campus, today announced a partnership to integrate Grubhub’s Marketplace into Transact Mobile Ordering, a robust mobile-first application with capabilities for food ordering, pickup and delivery. This first-of-its-kind integration enables students at campuses where Transact’s mobile app is enabled to order from on- and off-campus restaurants via Grubhub’s restaurant network using their campus card for a seamless ordering experience.

Through this integration, students expand their dining options by toggling between on- and off-campus restaurants, all within the Transact Mobile Ordering app. When students select the off-campus option, they will see available Grubhub restaurants for pickup or delivery and pay for meals using their campus card where applicable. Students will be able to access Grubhub’s entire network of more than 365,000 restaurants nationwide and place orders no matter where they are. The integration will also support local restaurants by providing them with a new channel to market their business and generate more orders from the campus community.

“This integration is a major win for everyone involved and a big step forward to provide a more holistic dining experience for students,” said Geoff Ellis, vice president strategic partnerships and business development at Grubhub. “Transact’s technology-first solutions complement our Grubhub Marketplace offering and together, we’re empowering students to have more dining choices. Campus environments are ripe for innovation, and we’re looking forward to working with Transact to bring even more value to students, administrators and restaurants in communities across the country, while growing our campus and diner network.”

“We’re excited to expand our relationship with Grubhub and offer even more ways for students to have cashless options and expanded meal choices,” said Laura Newell-McLaughlin, executive vice president and general manager, integrated payments, and campus commerce at Transact. “We’re continuously looking for ways to enhance the offerings in our mobile ordering platform and partnering with Grubhub to provide students with additional off-campus dining options makes our service even more seamless.”

This ordering method will be available to students in the coming months. The integration builds on Grubhub and Transact’s existing relationship, which allows hundreds of thousands of students in Transact’s CampusCash program across hundreds of campuses to use their student ID cards for cashless payments at university-approved off-campus merchants.

About Grubhub
Grubhub is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com (LSE: JET, AMS: TKWY), and is a leading U.S. food ordering and delivery marketplace. Dedicated to connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms, and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features more than 365,000 restaurant partners in over 4,000 U.S. cities.

About Transact
Transact is the leader in innovative payment and mobile credential solutions for a connected campus. Its highly configurable, mobile-centric campus technology ecosystem simplifies the student experience across the full spectrum of student life. Transact’s offerings include integrated solutions for tuition and other student expense payments, multi-purpose campus IDs, and campus commerce. With a long-standing reputation in the education community, Transact proudly serves over 12 million students across more than 1,850 client institutions. Its fintech solutions facilitate $49 billion in payments annually and have enabled more than 160 million contactless mobile wallet transactions and $293 million in mobile orders in less than three years. For more information, visit www.transactcampus.com.

SOURCE Grubhub Inc.

Just Eat Takeaway.com Announces Leadership Changes with its North America Segment

Current Grubhub CEO Adam DeWitt to step down
and will be replaced by Howard Migdal, CEO of SkipTheDishes 

CHICAGO, March 13, 2023 — Grubhub, a leading online food delivery platform, announces today that CEO Adam DeWitt, will step down from his position. Howard Migdal has been appointed executive vice president of North America and CEO of Grubhub. Migdal, a U.S. national, is currently the CEO of SkipTheDishes, Just Eat Takeaway.com’s Canadian subsidiary. DeWitt will remain with the company through May 1, 2023 to ensure a smooth transition.

Under DeWitt’s leadership for the past 11 years as CFO, President, and most recently CEO, Grubhub has grown from $20 million to more than $2 billion in annual revenues, with a network of more than 365,000 restaurants and approximately 400,000 delivery partners in more than 4,000 cities across the United States. DeWitt’s contributions to the company have been significant, including leading the company through its initial public offering in 2014 and the acquisition by Just Eat Takeaway.com in 2021.

Migdal has played a critical role in driving growth and scale at SkipTheDishes, Canada’s largest food delivery network. He brings more than 16 years of experience in food delivery, having co-founded GrubCanada, Canada’s first national food delivery platform in 2008.

“On behalf of the entire Management Board, I want to thank Adam for all his contributions at Grubhub,” said Jitse Groen, CEO of Just Eat Takeaway.com. “We are grateful for his leadership and dedication to the company, and we wish him all the best in his future endeavors. We are also excited to promote Howard as the new leader of our North America segment and Grubhub’s new CEO,” Groen added. “He has a proven track record as a leader with a deep understanding of our business, and we are confident in his ability to lead and grow the business into the future.”

“I am honored to take on the role leading our North America business and becoming the CEO of Grubhub,” said Howard Migdal. “Grubhub is an incredible brand and has tremendous scale through its restaurant and delivery networks. I am excited to build on the foundation built by Adam and the team.”

“It’s hard to leave Grubhub, but it’s the right time for me after 11 years, “ said Adam DeWitt. “I am incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished and will forever value the relationships I’ve forged here. Grubhub is in great hands with Howard and the Grubhub leadership team, and I’m excited to watch the company continue to thrive.”

The company also announced that Steve Puchala, senior vice president, growth and restaurant success, has been appointed interim CEO for SkipTheDishes, and will report to Migdal.

About Grubhub

Grubhub is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com (LSE: JET, AMS: TKWY), and is a leading U.S. food ordering and delivery marketplace. Dedicated to connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms, and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features more than 365,000 restaurant partners in over 4,000 U.S. cities.

About SkipTheDishes

SkipTheDishes is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com, a leading global online food delivery marketplace. SkipTheDishes connects millions of customers with over 47,000 Restaurant Partners in Canada.

About Just Eat Takeaway.com

Just Eat Takeaway.com (LSE: JET, AMS: TKWY) is one of the world’s leading global online food delivery marketplaces.

Headquartered in Amsterdam, the Company is focused on connecting consumers and partners through its platforms. With 692,000 connected partners, Just Eat Takeaway.com offers consumers a wide variety of food choice.

Just Eat Takeaway.com has rapidly grown to become a leading online food delivery marketplace with operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Poland, Slovakia, Spain and Switzerland.

 

Grubhub’s ‘Serving the City’ Program Expands to Company’s Hometown of Chicago to Provide Meals to Communities in Need and Help Close the Hunger Gap

This expansion builds on Grubhub’s larger community impact commitments to kick off the new year

CHICAGO, Feb. 27, 2023 — On Tuesday, February 21st, Grubhub officially launched the expansion of its ‘Serving the City’ program to Chicago, the company’s hometown. The program kicked off with its first event at three senior centers in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, a historically under-resourced community on the city’s west side, in partnership with 24th Ward Alderwoman Monique Scott and local restaurants, Soulé and The Soulfood Lounge

With the Serving the City initiative, Grubhub partners with local aldermen to purchase 500 hot, prepackaged, culturally appropriate meals directly from local restaurants for onsite meal distribution events at housing authorities, senior centers, veterans’ residences, and other community-based organizations. The program further allows Grubhub the opportunity to act on its commitment to support local restaurants and give back to communities that need it most.  

“The impact of this project is important to me because it addresses the food insecurities we have with our seniors, and having the opportunity to feed them during a time when they possibly can’t do it for themselves. I’m so excited to let them taste delicious food from fine dining restaurants that exist within their community. Many of them are on a fixed income and might not take advantage of dining outside of their own kitchen,” said Alderwoman Monique Scott.

Soulé, one of the first sit-down restaurants in North Lawndale in decades, partners with Grubhub’s Serving the City program

Following this kickoff event, the program will continue to run throughout the year with the goal of partnering with restaurants and delivering meals to communities in need across Chicago’s 50 wards in partnership with local aldermen.

“I came from a family that inspired my love of cooking and taught me the importance of community. When I opened my restaurant, Soulé, I knew I wanted to make a difference through food. In partnering with Grubhub’s Serving the City, I’ve been able to give back and drive change in my community through what I love to do most,” said Bridgette Flaggs, owner of Soulé in North Lawndale. Soulé is one of the first sit-down restaurants that has opened in North Lawndale in the last decades – a neighborhood historically considered a food desert. 

Last year, Serving the City launched in New York City to help address food insecurity and support local, independent restaurants. The program aims to address the lasting effects of the pandemic and the increased cost of food with inflation that has impacted communities and restaurants in cities nationwide. Since July 2022, this initiative has served more than 17,500 meals to food insecure families in partnership with 40 restaurants, with the goal of serving more than 25,000 meals to communities in New York City alone. 

“It’s exciting for Grubhub to kick off our Serving the City program right here in Chicago. After the impactful year we had serving meals to communities in New York City, we knew we could make a real difference in our hometown and give back to the city we call home. We’re looking forward to expanding across Chicago to help as many people and restaurants as we can,” said Dave Tovar, Grubhub SVP of Communications and Government Relations.

According to Northwestern University economists, one in five households in the Chicago metro area experiences food insecurity, including one in four families with children. As Grubhub expands the program to address the needs of its home city, it’s continuing to prioritize alleviating food insecurity in communities in need. Beyond Chicago and New York City, Grubhub also plans to expand their program nationwide as part of a larger commitment to help close the hunger gap. Grubhub‘s other focus areas for the year ahead include supporting independent restaurants and creating opportunities for people in the hospitality industry. 

Chicago Alderwoman Monique Scott partners with Grubhub’s Serving the City program

For more information about Grubhub’s Serving the City and other community impact programs, visit https://about.grubhub.com/community/programs/.

# # #

About Grubhub

Grubhub is part of Just Eat Takeaway.com (LSE: JET, AMS: TKWY), a leading global online food delivery marketplace. Dedicated to connecting more than 32 million diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features more than 320,000 restaurant partners in over 4,000 U.S. cities.

Grubhub Celebrates $22 Million to Communities Nationwide in 2022

Proud to drive meaningful change through partnerships with more than 34 nonprofit organizations and continue expanding impact in 2023

By Dave Tovar
SVP Communications & Government Relations

Last year marked an important evolution in Grubhub’s philanthropic efforts. As the food service industry reset post-pandemic, we had the opportunity to rethink how we support the people and communities where we operate. We followed through with the philanthropic commitments made in 2021, and we added new partners, resulting in more than $22 million going to support more than 350 communities across the country. 

Our new vision includes three focus areas: supporting independent restaurants, working to close the hunger gap, and creating more opportunities for people in the hospitality industry. In 2022, 87 percent of our philanthropic resources supported this work. We are continuing to evolve as we enter 2023, partnering and supporting collective action on issues that face our industry and the communities in which we operate. Taking key learnings from existing partnerships, we continue to prioritize impact and identify new ways that we can not only direct philanthropic support, but also leverage our business to drive meaningful change. 

Grubhub's National Impact 2022

As we start a new year, I want to highlight some of the impactful work happening in communities across the country, including:

  • Supporting 34 national and regional nonprofit organizations* facilitating work in our three focus areas through the Grubhub Community Fund. These partners make up a network of more than 400 organizations providing access to essential needs like food, access to capital, and access to opportunities to drive mobility and impact.  
  • Addressing the growing hunger gap caused by food insecurity and distributing 527,902 meals and 2.8 million pounds of food through 14 nonprofit partnerships funded by the Grubhub Community Fund. Even better, more than 70% of the food distributed came from food recovery programs which means it would have otherwise gone to waste.
  • Providing an additional 17,500 meals purchased from local independent restaurants to serve families and individuals living in housing authorities, senior centers, and veterans’ residences in 35 districts across the five boroughs of New York City through our Serving the City program.
  • Granting 20 drivers with $10,000 each to make a positive impact on their community
  • Amplifying the impact of our employees and matching 432 employee donations to local nonprofits across the country.
  • Aiding in rapid response through the Grubhub Community Fund, which provided $1,250,000 in Ukraine support to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and World Central Kitchen and providing $100,000 in support to Bronxworks, Inc. to help 120 families re-establish housing following the devastating Bronx fire. We also provided $25,000 in aid to Feedmore Western New York as they worked to provide support to the communities devastated by the mass shooting in Buffalo, NY. 

More than ever, we are focused on what it means to make a difference and drive impact as we execute against our new vision. The stories of the individuals, families and communities impacted by our efforts continue to inspire us, and I would like to share some special stories with you.

Supporting Independent Restaurants 

Creating access to capital and business development opportunities for local, family-owned businesses is at the core of our goals for independent restaurant-focused philanthropic support. In addition to our continued relationship with the Greg Hill Foundation’s Restaurant Strong Fund, we also partnered with diverse business organizations to drive programs and opportunities for AAPI-, Black-, Hispanic- and LBGTQ+- owned restaurants. These efforts, supported by the Grubhub Community Fund, have helped local independent establishments close gaps in payroll, replace broken equipment and update kitchens, and market their spaces. This also includes providing winterization grants which enabled 70 restaurants in New York, Chicago, Boston, and Philadelphia to adapt to the colder months and expand outdoor areas. For example:

  • Elena Barcenes of Rincón Salvadoreño is the proud owner of New York City’s first Salvadorean Restaurant serving the community since 1980. Elena’s restaurant is family-owned and operated, and they were hit hard in recent years. She used the Grubhub grant to keep her staff employed during the lean months and shared, “I have fought my hardest to keep my doors open. I am a minority woman fighting to contribute to society by offering jobs and serving our Jamaica Community”. 
  • Zachary Lucchese-Soto of Bluebird Café in Chicago is using the Winterization funds to keep his patio open during the frigid weather. The patio is the restaurant’s lifeblood and accounts for 50% of their overall seating and by keeping it open year-round, his business can thrive no matter the weather conditions.

Already in the works in 2023, we are supporting 130 new winterization grants and continuing our partnerships with our diverse business partners, prioritizing equitable access to opportunity across the programs we support. 

Working to Close the Hunger Gap

Since the launch of Donate the Change in 2018, allowing diners to round up their total to the nearest dollar at checkout and donate to charitable causes, we have worked to identify partnerships and initiatives focused on closing the hunger gap across the country. In 2022, we successfully expanded our efforts by not only supporting the direct distribution of ready-to-eat meals and groceries to individuals and families in need, but also narrowed in on identifying new opportunities to drive impact. Collectively this resulted  in more than 545,000 meals, 2.8 million pounds of food, and geographic expansion of the food recovery programs we support. Our newest endeavor leverages our ordering platform to provide those experiencing food insecurity access to meals through our partnership with Bento.

We’ve also embarked on new ways to support collective action. In June 2022, we launched our Serving the City program in New York City. Through this program, Grubhub works in tandem with local restaurants and New York City Council members to address food insecurity, positioning us to understand specific needs in the community and then partner with local restaurants to purchase and provide culturally-appropriate meals where they are most needed. In 2022, we purchased 17,500 meals which were provided to individuals and families living within housing authorities, senior centers, and veterans’ residences in 35 districts across the five boroughs of New York City.

  • Councilwoman Julie Menin, Chair of the City Council Small Business Committee, and Grubhub purchased 500 meals from family-owned restaurant Mansion Diner and distributed them to area residents at The Stanley M. Isaacs Neighborhood Center. Councilwoman Menin noted that “This is an excellent partnership between community leaders, small businesses and an online food ordering company. By partnering with our local restaurants, Grubhub is truly committing dedicated resources to combating hunger in New York City.”
  • Councilwoman Linda Lee joined Grubhub to deliver 250 meals to seniors at Commonpoint Queens in Little Neck and homebound seniors at Deepdale CARES NORC. Following the visit, Danielle Ellman, CEO of Commonpoint shared, “With more than one in 10 seniors facing food insecurity, programs like these are literally saving lives by getting healthy meals to our most vulnerable. Thank you to Grubhub and Council member Lee for their support in helping older adults age with dignity.”

Creating More Opportunities for People in the Hospitality Industry

Supporting those working within the hospitality industry, especially our delivery partners, remains a focus for Grubhub. In 2022, we kicked off a second year of grants to directly support our delivery partners looking to drive meaningful change in their communities. The recipients of our Driver Grant Program continue to do amazing work in their communities. For example, our New York City driver, Galliano, used his $10,000 grant to support youth in his community by providing them with school supplies and nutritious before-and-after-school snacks to help keep students engaged in learning. Chicago based driver, Symone, is also using the grant to support two local nonprofit organizations, Nourishing Hope and the Telpochcalli Community Education Project. Symone is an active member of the Telphochalli Community education fund, which mobilizes youth for social justice work by building individual capacity and mutual responsibility through culturally relevant and community-directed education. She’s also using a portion of the grant to continue her own schooling.

Additionally, the Grubhub Community Fund supported several new partnerships focused on job training, job placement and work that champions removing barriers to opportunity within the hospitality industry via collective action. To date, we have partnered with The Hospitality Project, Momentum Advisory Collective, and Women in Hospitality United. As our newest focus area, we know there is more work to be done and we look forward to identifying new opportunities where we can expand our impact. 

Looking Ahead

As we look ahead to 2023, we’re focused on creating more impact in the communities we serve, in ways Grubhub is uniquely positioned to do. We believe in supporting independent restaurants to positively impact communities, using technology and our network to help close the widening hunger gap, and creating opportunities in the hospitality industry.

*See here for a full list of the 34 Grubhub Community Fund partners awarded a grant in 2022:

  • ACE Foundation
  • Bronxworks Inc.
  • East Central Illinois Refugee Mutual Assistance Center (The Refugee Center)
  • Ethiopian Community Association of Chicago
  • Feed the Soul Foundation
  • Feedmore Western New York
  • Food Bank for NYC
  • Greater Boston Food Bank
  • Greg Hill Foundation – Restaurant Strong Fund
  • Heartland Human Care Services, Inc.
  • Hospitality Project Inc 
  • JCFS Chicago (HIAS)
  • Junior League of Kansas City Mo Inc.
  • Madison Square Boys and Girls Club
  • MEANS Database
  • Momentum Advisory Collective (Cafe Momentum)
  • NGLCC Foundation
  • Nourish PHX
  • Nourishing Hope
  • Piatt Family Foundation
  • Plant Powered Metro New York
  • Queens Center for Progress
  • Rescuing Leftover Cuisine
  • Star House Foundation
  • Tacombi Foundation
  • UNHCR (The UN Refugee Agency)
  • Union League Boys and Girls Club of Chicago
  • US Black Chambers CEDC
  • Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens
  • Women in Hospitality United
  • World Central Kitchen
  • World Relief Chicago
  • World Relief Quad Cities
  • Youth Guidance

The Grubhub Community Fund is a donor advised fund at a national sponsoring organization. The Grubhub Community Fund is made possible through donations from our customers through our Donate the Change feature. Grubhub matches contributions on eligible orders from our Grubhub+ members.

Grubhub Corporate Accounts Launches Dedicated Solution for Tax Exempt Clients

The automated tax exempt solution streamlines food ordering and account management by automatically removing taxes on eligible orders

Grubhub Corporate Accounts, the industry’s most flexible meal perk platform, announced today its automated, tax exempt solution that removes taxes from non-profit and tax exempt eligible organizations’ invoices and order totals at checkout.

The automated tool further solidifies Grubhub Corporate Accounts as the industry’s most robust  platform, offering the most solutions with the largest restaurant supply for catering and individual ordering. Grubhub Corporate Accounts previously offered a manual tax exempt feature for eligible clients, including companies within the education, non-profit, healthcare and government sectors. The automated solution is a simpler way to ensure taxes are immediately excluded from orders, and clients can choose from a weekly, biweekly or monthly invoicing schedule.

“We heard from our tax exempt clients that they were looking for us to more seamlessly meet their specialized food ordering needs,” said Jeff Mirmelstein, vice president and general manager of corporate accounts at Grubhub. “Now, admins can manage all invoices, tax exempt certificates, exemption statuses and meal orders in the online Grubhub Corporate Accounts administrative portal, saving them both time and money.”

Example illustration

For more information on Grubhub Corporate Accounts, please visit corporate.grubhub.com.

Expanding the Value of Direct for Grubhub Merchants

Since our founding in 2004, we’ve focused on helping restaurants drive orders online and build up their digital presence — an effort that has taken on many forms as technology and our industry have evolved. In our early days, we served as a digital marketplace to send orders to restaurants that they fulfilled. We added our own delivery drivers into the mix over the years to give restaurants an option for delivery support if they didn’t have their own drivers. 

Now fast forward to 2021 when we rolled out Direct, a commission-free branded web ordering channel that gives independent restaurants more options for driving online orders from their own branded channels. Direct recommitted to helping merchants strengthen their digital presence, but our work isn’t finished. We continue to find new ways to help our merchants succeed online, and today, we’re excited to share our latest features coming to Direct soon. 

“A robust digital footprint is key for merchants as they look to reach more diners across ordering channels,” said Kate Green, vice president of restaurant services and innovation at Grubhub. “Our restaurant innovation team is hyper-focused on gathering and analyzing feedback from merchants and data from our platforms. We put these insights into action to further support restaurants’ goals by building products and tools that help drive their business forward. We’re excited to strengthen our offerings for merchants and to serve as an even better, more valuable partner.”

Integration with Google Business Profiles

Merchants will be able to add their Direct site across their Business Profile on Google Search and Maps and select it as their preferred ordering channel via our integration. We know running day-to-day operations is a full time job and resourcing continues to be a challenge across the industry, so we’re making it as easy as possible for merchants to promote their Direct site with just a few clicks within their Direct dashboard. With this integration, we’re putting the control in merchants’ hands to get greater visibility with hungry diners searching for restaurant options, driving more orders without commissions. According to Grubhub data during testing, we found that on average, Direct merchants who list their Direct site on their Google Business Profile receive nearly 20x the orders compared to those who don’t list their Direct site on their Google Business Profile.

$0 delivery fees for restaurants on Direct orders

Direct has always been marketing commission-free, but in the coming weeks, we’ll begin waiving the delivery fee (previously $1.99 per order) paid by Direct merchants that use Grubhub couriers to deliver Direct orders. Cultivating deeper relationships with our restaurant partners is invaluable, and we’ve built our business by helping restaurants grow theirs. It’s these efforts and technology that allow us to serve restaurants by providing tools to reach new diners and grow their business. 

Guest checkout for Direct

Direct is all about enabling merchants to drive more commission-free orders and reach even more diners. With Guest Checkout, diners will be able to order from a merchant’s Direct site without creating a Grubhub account. This removes a barrier to placing an order at checkout, making it easier for new diners to order while helping restaurants generate more sales.

Commission-free ordering and integrations that allow merchants to market to diners are just two components of our Direct product suite. We also know just how powerful a loyal diner base is for our partners. To generate this loyalty, merchants first and foremost need to be where their diners are. Today Direct is a branded website, but as we look to the future, we’re testing additional branded channels that will enable merchants to add more touchpoints with their diners. Stay tuned and up to date with the latest Direct advancements here.