News Category: Community Impact

Supporting Restaurants and Communities Through COVID-19 and Beyond

These are uncertain times, and while we can’t predict what tomorrow will bring, we recognize our responsibility to do all we can to help keep restaurant doors open. Our business depends on restaurants like the local coffee shop, the burrito joint, the sandwich place, or that great wing spot. And over the last six months, we’ve seen restaurant owners and delivery drivers fill an essential need in their communities.

Put simply: We’ve made it our mission to support restaurants. That’s why we’re sharing an update on our efforts to help our restaurants and communities during this challenging time.

We spent $100 million to support restaurants, drivers and diners.

It became clear early in the pandemic that restaurants needed our support, first as a bridge to federal aid and then to help them survive this time through delivery and pickup orders. In early May, we committed to funding what we anticipated would be $50 million – from the start of April through the end of June – toward driving orders and keeping communities safe. When June came to a close, we had spent twice that amount.

  • $85 million went to driving more orders to restaurants through coupons we funded, reduced diner fees, and increased advertising. This investment stimulated more than $200 million of incremental sales for our restaurant partners.
  • $15 million went to protecting restaurants, drivers and diners. We sent 250,000 personal protective equipment kits to drivers and recognized their efforts with increased pay and more bonuses. We also provided restaurants with tamper-evident stickers giving peace of mind to restaurants and diners that their food would stay secure and untouched in transit.

We gave restaurants more flexibility.

As a demand-generation engine first and a delivery service second, Grubhub is rooted in products and features for restaurants to drive and fulfill orders in the ways that make the most sense for their business. Our established technologies have never been more important, and we complemented them with new offerings that serve restaurants, drivers and diners.

  • Offered since 2013, online ordering links make it easy for restaurants to add online ordering directly to their website. Grubhub does not charge a marketing fee on these orders because the restaurant generated the demand and they should keep the revenue. We’ve facilitated millions of orders to restaurants through these online ordering links.
  • We power websites, apps, loyalty programs and ordering platforms for restaurants through our in-house agency, LevelUp. These products showcase the restaurant’s brand, enabling them to build loyalty and drive delivery and takeout orders however is best for them. In the coming months, with our Grubhub Direct web product, we will also pilot white-label capabilities for SMBs to reach restaurants that previously didn’t have the resources to devote to a customized direct-order website.
  • Grubhub Ultimate now lets diners place in-person orders from start to finish on their smartphone via a QR code instead of touching a kiosk. We’re extending this feature to SMB restaurants without Ultimate by offering a free, custom window sign that includes a QR code for a contact-free pickup ordering experience without any marketing fees. We’ve already sent signs to hundreds of SMB restaurants.
  • Smart Promotions use data to help restaurants grow their orders. Restaurants use the Grubhub for Restaurants portal to specify goals and a monthly Smart Promotions budget, then Grubhub recommends and implements the most effective promotions for their business. We’ve also matched Smart Promotions budgets, allowing restaurants’ investments in these promotions to go twice as far.
    • We continually put data in the hands of restaurant owners through our Insights Dashboard on the Grubhub for Restaurants portal. The dashboard gives a detailed look at daily and weekly sales, orders, menu item performance metrics and trends, all in one place, with new data points frequently added to the dashboard based on feedback from restaurant partners.
  • We implemented contact-free delivery and curbside pickup to keep our restaurants, drivers and diners safe during the pandemic. Contact-free delivery is the default option for diners at check-out, and restaurants can offer curbside pickup to diners and drivers to prevent groups from gathering in the restaurant.

We dedicated more than $7 million and counting to local communities.

Since 2018, our Donate the Change product feature has allowed diners to support organizations that help those in need across the nation by rounding up their total to the nearest dollar. Our diners have collectively donated over $1 million per month through Donate the Change, enabling our charitable partners to make a big impact.

We established the Grubhub Community Relief Fund to provide financial relief for our community, including restaurant partners and drivers. More than $7 million donated by Grubhub and our diners is going to charitable organizations that support communities impacted by COVID-19. These include:

  • The Restaurant Strong Fund gives direct financial support to independently-owned SMB restaurants and their employees. Our donation goes to restaurants and their employees in Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia, New York City and Detroit.
  • MEANS makes it possible to donate food from independent restaurants that would have gone to waste to local emergency feeding services. Grubhub’s donation will be used to purchase left-over food from restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Providence.
  • World Central Kitchen has activated a network of restaurants and food service providers to safely produce individually packaged fresh meals that are delivered to those in need. Grubhub’s donation paid restaurants for these meals and handled delivery logistics in New York City.
  • The Food Bank of New York City provides emergency meals to vulnerable New Yorkers impacted by the economic downturn and COVID pandemic.
  • The Boys and Girls Club of America offers critical services for young people across the country and much-needed childcare services for essential workers. Grubhub’s donation is supporting the costs of re-opening key childcare centers in New York City.

We also took steps to feed frontline workers through partnerships with Verizon and Hellmann’s Food Relief Fund. Tens of thousands of meals, prepared by local restaurants, were given to healthcare workers in New York City hospitals free of charge. These programs helped both restaurant workers and hospital staff, and leveraged Grubhub’s delivery network to get food from restaurants to the hospitals.

Our work is not done. We’re committed to continuing to add features, products and resources that help our restaurants weather this crisis and support their communities. Restaurants have trusted us as a partner for more than 20 years – we look forward to serving them for the next 20.

Grubhub and Major Cities Across the U.S. Launch Economic Relief Effort up to $100 Million for Independent Restaurants and Delivery Partners Impacted by COVID-19

Mayors of Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, Boston and Portland Team with Grubhub to Suspend Fees from Independent Restaurants
Grubhub Sets up Charitable Fund for Impacted Drivers and Restaurants

CHICAGO, March 13, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — In collaboration with the mayors of large cities across the United States who are on the front lines of the COVID-19 response efforts, Grubhub today announced it is temporarily suspending collection of up to $100 million in commission payments from impacted independent restaurants nationwide.

Grubhub’s initiative will provide immediate and substantial cash flowrelief to qualified independent restaurants — restaurants that make up the majority of Grubhub’s 350,000+ restaurant community and drive more than 80 percent of the company’s orders.

Matt Maloney, Grubhub Founder and CEO said: “Independent restaurants are the lifeblood of our cities and feed our communities. They have been amazing long-term partners for us, and we wanted to help them in their time of need. Our business is their business — so this was an easy decision for us to make.”

Grubhub has also created a fund that will enable proceeds from its Donate the Change program to go toward charitable organizations that support restaurants and drivers impacted by the COVID-19 health crisis. The program will allow diners to round up the change from every order and donate it to the Grubhub Community Relief Fund — with donations from Grubhub+ (and Seamless+) members matched by the company. Grubhub has been raising more than $1 million dollars per month through Donate the Change.

Grubhub will work with local city officials to identify the organizations that can utilize the funds and to consider other support programs during the pandemic.

“The City of Chicago is deeply concerned about the risk COVID-19 is placing on the health of our residents and communities, as well as the impact it’s having on our working families and neighborhood economies and restaurants,” said Chicago Mayor Lori E. Lightfoot. “That is why we applaud corporate leaders like Grubhub who are stepping up with practical measures to support small businesses and their employees. Now more than ever, we must work together to ensure hardworking Chicagoans receive the support they need to thrive while also staying safe, secure, and healthy.”

In Chicago, where Grubhub was founded in 2004 and is headquartered today, there are more than 10,000 restaurants on the platform, and thousands of drivers bringing delicious food from these restaurants to hungry diners. This relief fund will provide support for food industry workers, which are anticipated to become among some of the most impacted by the economic losses due to coronavirus and social distancing practices. This includes residents at small, neighborhood-based businesses like Chicago’s Home of Chicken & Waffles, based in Bronzeville.

As dine-in traffic is expected to slow up to 75 percent over the next few weeks, restaurants will rely on pickup and delivery orders to stay in business. “We have seen revenue decrease in the past week as a direct result of our customers staying home,” said Darnell Johnson, owner of Chicago’s Home of Chicken & Waffles. “Grubhub has helped us generate more delivery and takeout orders as our customers’ dining habits have changed. This has helped us continue serving our loyal customers and our employees can continue living a sustainable lifestyle.”

“Banding together during hard times, putting people over profit, and supporting our local businesses is a model we should all follow, and I thank Grubhub for leading the way,” said New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio.

“Restaurants are a pillar of the San Francisco small business economy and so important to the culture of this city,” said Joaquin Torres, Director of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development. “We are committed to doing everything in our power to support them in this time of crisis, but if we want to come through this public health emergency intact, we’ll need more private sector partners to follow Grubhub’s lead, do the right thing and invest locally to mitigate this crisis.”

These initiatives follow a series of measures taken by Grubhub to keep restaurants, diners, and drivers safe during the outbreak – including contact-free delivery and health and safety guidance to drivers, restaurants and diners. Additionally, Grubhub offers pickup from the largest restaurant network in the country, which helps individuals who might feel safer acquiring food on their own.

About Grubhub
Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB) is a leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace with the largest and most comprehensive network of restaurant partners, as well as more than 22 million active diners. 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 over 350,000 restaurants and is proud to partner with more than 165,000 of these restaurants in over 3,200 U.S. cities and London. The Grubhub portfolio of brands includes Grubhub, Seamless, LevelUp, AllMenus and MenuPages.

Grubhub Kicks Off Third Year Of RestaurantHER, Continuing Support For Women In The Restaurant Industry

Funded by the more than $1 million raised by diners during 2019 RestaurantHER, James Beard Foundation announces new platform for women in leadership

CHICAGO, March 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Grubhub, the nation’s leading pickup and delivery marketplace with the largest restaurant network, is continuing its commitment in supporting women-led restaurants during the third year of its RestaurantHER initiative.

Last year Grubhub diners donated more than $1 million to the James Beard Foundation’s women’s initiatives, and in 2020 the organization is putting those funds to work. With the assistance of Grubhub, the James Beard Foundation will be launching a new digital platform to provide women in the industry with accessible resources, substantially broadening its impact beyond the nearly 400 women the program now supports annually. The platform will provide educational guides on financing and best practices for business planning, as well as opportunities for members to network and connect with potential mentors through local community meet-ups and relevant industry events. Grubhub will also continue supporting local restaurant communities through RestaurantHER, encouraging diners to order from the growing, first-of-its-kind map of women-led restaurants, which now features nearly 50,000 restaurants.

“Thanks to partnerships with leaders like Grubhub, we’ve been able to make a positive impact in supporting women-led restaurants in the industry,” said Clare Reichenbach, CEO of the James Beard Foundation. “We’ve seen women executive chefs grow in representation within the industry, and although we have a long way to go to achieve gender parity, we’re certainly heading in the right direction.”

“Having access to tangible resources like the James Beard Foundation’s programming is invaluable, and extending these to even more women with support from Grubhub is very exciting. The organization’s ‘Owning It’ workshop was incredibly impactful, giving us the opportunity to network and connect with other women in the industry and provided real tools to help define, shape, and better our business,” said Valerie Zweig, co-founder of Prescription Chicken. “From writing down the vision for our companies to hearing from and interacting with varied industry experts and even doing a live pitch to a panel of investors, we left with practical tools that we have already started implementing into our business.”

Since its inception in 2018, RestaurantHER has helped raise awareness about the long-standing issues impacting women in today’s restaurant industry. In a partnership with Women Chefs & Restaurateurs (WCR), Grubhub supported the development of “Sharpen Your Skills,” a toolkit for aspiring female chefs and culinary leaders to help women navigate and address the challenges they face in the restaurant industry. Additionally, Grubhub contributed to WCR’s scholarship and mentorship programs, assisting and connecting over a dozen women in the culinary industry through formal apprenticeships.

“We’re proud to continue our efforts to drive change in the restaurant industry. Gender equality is important to us, and it’s important to our diners, too,” said Jessica Burns, Vice President of Brand Marketing and Creative at Grubhub. “While there’s still progress to be made, women now make up 22% of all chefs and head cooks, a rise from just over 19% in 2017. At the end of the day, we have a responsibility to raise awareness and give a voice to women in today’s industry, and with partners like the James Beard Foundation we’re able to do just that.”

For more information on Grubhub’s RestaurantHER initiative or to check out the map of women-led restaurants, visit RestaurantHER.com. To find out more about the James Beard Foundation’s women’s initiatives, visit JamesBeard.org.

About Grubhub
Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB) is a leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace with the largest and most comprehensive network of restaurant partners, as well as more than 22 million active diners. 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 over 300,000 restaurants and is proud to partner with more than 155,000 of these restaurants in over 3,200 U.S. cities and London. The Grubhub portfolio of brands includes Grubhub, Seamless, LevelUp, AllMenus and MenuPages.