To showcase different perspectives and give an inside look into Grubhub, we’re spotlighting leaders across the organization. For this edition, we caught up with Launika Raykar, Vice President, Loyalty and Marketing.

Launika’s team is responsible for Grubhub’s loyalty program, Grubhub+, as well as our efforts to reach more merchants, drivers, campus administrators and corporate clients.

Tell us about your journey at Grubhub so far. 

I joined Grubhub in April 2022, and my mission was to build the best loyalty program that engages diners to order more and stay exclusive with Grubhub. When I started, our Grubhub+ membership base was small but growing. However, within a month of joining, Amazon came on board, and my first big project was launching our partnership with Amazon and Grubhub+. This was a massive cross-functional effort and the fastest-moving project I’ve ever been a part of. Since then, we’ve relaunched Grubhub+ and continued to grow with Amazon; having just announced last week that we’ve made Grubhub+ an ongoing benefit for Prime members and have enabled Grubhub ordering on Amazon.com and the Amazon Shopping app. 

In your opinion, what are some key factors driving customer loyalty in today’s market, and how do they align with Grubhub’s goals?

Customers today look for value, recognition, and exceptional service. At Grubhub, our loyalty program is designed to meet these needs. We’re focused on delivering tangible value, recognizing frequent customers, and providing elevated services to our top-tier members. This approach aligns with our goals of increasing retention and deepening customer engagement.

What are the key areas of focus for the loyalty team in 2024?

One of our key objectives is to improve the actual and perceived value of Grubhub, with Grubhub+ being a significant part of that. We’re focused on growing our Grubhub+ membership base and ensuring these members are active and engaged. Retention is a major goal for us, and our strategies are designed to keep customers ordering month over month.

Any upcoming projects or initiatives the Loyalty team is working on in the year ahead?

One exciting initiative is the launch of a priority delivery feature for Grubhub customers. With this feature, customers can upgrade to Priority Delivery at checkout to have their meal delivered faster than the standard Grubhub delivery time. And for Grubhub+ customers, we’re currently offering it at no additional cost. This feature will save our customers time while adding to the monetary savings Grubhub+ members already receive. It’s an investment in our members, showing them that we value their time as much as their money. We’re also focused on better merchandising our loyalty program, celebrating customer savings, and reminding them of their benefits to drive deeper engagement.

Let’s talk about Gold Days of Grubhub+. We saw the announcement in May. In case folks missed it, what are Gold Days of Grubhub+ and what should we all know about the campaign?

Gold Days of Grubhub+ is Grubhub’s member appreciation month where we give our most loyal diners exclusive freebies and savings on restaurant and convenience items. We held our first-ever Gold Days of Grubhub in October 2023, and earlier this month we announced the second one that is running from May 13 through June 9!

During the month-long event, Grubhub+ members will receive even more value with 20K+ deals from local favorites, on top of dozens of high-value offers from popular national restaurants and convenience stores such as McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Sweetgreen, Chipotle, Wendy’s, KFC, Dunkin’, Pizza Hut, Popeyes and 7-Eleven. 

How does the loyalty team at Grubhub collaborate with other departments?

At Grubhub, everyone touches loyalty in some way. While there are people focused specifically on loyalty within my team, we work closely with almost every department. For example, our product and engineering teams focus on member insights, experience and customer retention, while our brand and marketing team works on raising program awareness and deepening member engagement. We also collaborate with analytics, PR, legal, and merchant network teams to ensure our strategy is integrated in broader decision making. This integrated approach ensures that loyalty is a priority across the entire business and that we make progress in a material way.

How do you as a leader foster a dynamic and collaborative culture within the Loyalty team?

I emphasize the three E’s: envisioning what’s possible, energizing the team to achieve this vision, and helping develop frameworks so the team can successfully execute. Creating an energized, high-tempo team environment is crucial. We hold regular team meetings and working sessions to ensure collaboration and cross-functional engagement, given that everyone has a role to play in loyalty.