OnTrend Concepts
Grocery Delivery Digest

June 3, 2020

Peter Cook, Publisher

This week delivery news has been fairly consistent with what it has been over the past couple of weeks; but consistent does not mean boring. There are a lot of very interesting trends and stories to follow. One trend that is particularly interesting is the development of the three, third-party delivery company musketeers: DoorDash, GrubHub and Uber Eats. DoorDash has responded in a novel way to struggling restaurants’ needs; Uber and GrubHub continue to squabble over a potential M&A; and Congress gets involved in Instacart. Also featured are some hopeful stories for stores and restaurants like Aldi and Food Lion, and some local spots as well. Otherwise, people have been doing their research, writing articles which offer some great pointers on what to watch out for as delivery develops in the coming months. With that said, catch your breath and take some time to enjoy yourself on catching up on some good delivery news stories.

Issue #6

Amazon, FedEx, and UPS Reveal How Protests Are Impacting Deliveries Across the US

Protests across the US are causing delays and disruptions in deliveries of packages and food.


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Ride-Hailing and Delivery Services Suspended in Some Cities During Curfews

Ride-hailing and delivery companies Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and Postmates suspended service in some cities at the request of local officials.


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Senators Ask FTC To Investigate Instacart over 'Tip Baiting'

Tip baiting, where delivery service customers promise generous tips to couriers only to stiff them afterward, is a scummy practice — and politicians want to know if companies are letting it slide.


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DoorDash Unveils 'Main Street Strong' Initiative To Help Restaurants Recover

DoorDash announced Main Street Strong, an initiative to help restaurants navigate the recovery phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.


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DoorDash Immerses Snapchat Users in AR Restaurants

DoorDash is sponsoring a set of augmented reality (AR) lenses that lets Snapchat users immerse themselves in virtual versions of popular restaurant chains.


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Grubhub Seeks Termination-Fee Contingency in Uber Deal

Grubhub wants a breakup fee if the government blocks its takeover by Uber, a media report says.


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Italy Court Rules Uber Food Delivery Riders Were Exploited

A court in Milan has ordered the appointment of a judicial administrator to oversee Uber Italy for one year after determining the company's food delivery service exploited workers, according to Italian news reports.


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Uber Cleared To Buy Online Grocer Cornershop

Uber has been approved by the National Economic Prosecutor’s Office (FNE), Chile’s antitrust regulator, to acquire the Chilean grocery shopping app Cornershop, according to an FNE statement.


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Dubai Economy Coordinates Between NRTC Fresh, InstaShop to Deliver Fresh Fruits, Vegetables Daily

Dubai Economy has announced the coordination of an alliance between NRTC Fresh and the InstaShop grocery delivery App to enable consumers to enjoy same-day delivery of fresh products from the convenience of their home.


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iFresh Expands Online Grocery Delivery Service to Additional States

iFresh, a leading Asian American supermarket chain and online grocer, announced today that the Company is expanding iFresh’s online grocery delivery service to Florida, Maryland, and Massachusetts, in addition to New York.


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Dickey's Extends Free Delivery Through June

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit is reporting unprecedented off-premises sales and is meeting demand trends by extending its free delivery offer through the end of June.


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Café Yumm! Begins Reopening for Takeout and Delivery

Café Yumm! began reopening this month for takeout and delivery.


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Aldi Expands Curbside Grocery Pickup to 600 Stores

Aldi is expanding curbside grocery pickup to nearly 600 stores in 35 states by the end of July, the grocer said in a press release.


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Food Lion Links Loyalty Program to Online Grocery Services

Food Lion now enables customers to use digital coupons and redeem Shop & Earn MVP rewards when ordering online for store pickup or home delivery.


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Amazon-Owned Whole Foods Fired a Worker Who Had Been Tracking COVID-19 Cases Across the Grocery Chain's Stores

Whole Foods fired a worker in California who had been documenting COVID-19 cases across the company's grocery store locations.


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Le Pain Quotidien's US Arm Files for Bankruptcy, Sold for $3M

Le Pain Quotidien’s U.S. arm filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Wednesday and plans to sell itself to Aurify Brands, subject to court approval, according to Bloomberg.


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Grocery Delivery Now Available Through Google Pay In India

Google users in India can now order groceries for delivery from startup Dunzo, allowing the tech giant to effectively enter into the Indian delivery market, according to a BGR report.


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‘Kosherati’: Gulf Media Heralds UAE's First Kosher Food Delivery

A kosher catering service in Dubai is getting lots of exposure as Gulf commentators herald it as the first of its kind in the Gulf region.


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Brownstein: High-End Montreal restaurants offer takeout with a twist

Hubert Marsolais and Claude Pelletier are among those who have felt the need to come up with something novel in these trying times.


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How Tavour Saved Craft Breweries from the Coronavirus

At a time when many taprooms and bars across the country are still closed, Tavour has given craft breweries a lifeline to sell their beer to a national audience.


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You Can Have the Coffee from Disney Parks Delivered Right to Your Door

If you've had the pleasure of visiting a Disney park, you've likely seen Joffrey's Coffee & Tea Company kiosks. The company is Disney's official specialty coffee provider.


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Online Grocery Sales Reach $6.6B in May

Online grocery sales had another record-breaking month in May, increasing 24% over April to reach $6.6 billion, according to new research from Brick Meets Click and Mercatus.


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Grocery Delivery Growth Is Flattening, Survey Reveals

Results from a new Gallup poll indicate shoppers are becoming increasingly comfortable with restaurant takeout and delivery during the pandemic while interest in grocery delivery has flattened.


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Everyone’s Ordering Delivery, but Apps Aren’t Making Money

With dining rooms closed, more people are using Uber Eats, Grubhub, and DoorDash.


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Customer Concerns as Restaurants Reopen: Where to Start

The landscape is rapidly changing. And so is the guest response.


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Food Delivery Apps: Should You Use Them?

Apps like DoorDash, Grubhub and UberEats say they are on the restaurants' side, and that without them these businesses would not have as wide of a reach in terms of customer sales volume.


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How America Became Addicted To Food Delivery And Takeout

America loves ordering in, especially amid the coronavirus pandemic. But our hunger for convenience could bury the planet in trash.


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Digital Food Ordering Net Benefits Realized: How Digital Capabilities Add Long-Term Value

Within recent years, the digital transformation of industries across the globe grew swifter and put traditional business processes at risk. Even the restaurant industry witnessed its share of the need for digital transformation.


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How Has COVID-19 Exposed the Restaurant Industry?

With the unprecedented and unpredictable nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurant operators are beyond the point of having their hands full.


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Delivery Services Cut into Local Restaurant's Bottom Line

Local restaurant owners are doing everything they can to hold on during this pandemic, but the services in place that help them serve us while still social distancing can take a toll on their bottom line.


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Baltimore-Area Bars, Restaurants Drop Delivery Apps over 'Outrageous' Fees

The restaurant had been noticing issues with delivery drivers who took nearly an hour to pick up meals that were ready shortly after an order was placed.


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2 Restaurant Owners Never Gave Consent To Be on Food Delivery App

For at least two Milwaukee restaurants, the food delivery app Postmates has been a problem.


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Restaurants Are Barely Surviving. Delivery Apps Will Kill Them.

Giuseppe Badalamenti thought he knew everything about selling pizza. Then a client of his food truck turned consultancy, Chicago Pizza Boss, showed him her March invoice from Grubhub.


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Restaurants See Delivery Services As Savior and ‘Scourge’ During Pandemic

Third party delivery services like DoorDash and GrubHub helped Ohio restaurants stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic, but also charge fees that many restaurant owners find unreasonable.


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Restaurant Consumers May Favor Delivery and Carryout Even As Dining Rooms Reopen

When restaurants nationwide were mandated to close on-premise business in mid-March, consumers were forced to dramatically shift their restaurant behaviors.


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Riding COVID-19 Storm

Restaurants rewrite home delivery rules with special menus, DIY kits.


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Restaurants’ Delivery Dilemma

Delivery sales are going to be a major portion of restaurant sales for the foreseeable future. If the delivery fees are not regulated for the long term, there will be a second wave of restaurant closures in the months ahead and millions more restaurant workers will lose their jobs.


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Ultimate Social Distancing: Self-Driving Cars Used To Donate Food During Pandemic

Using what could be the ultimate form of social distancing, the real estate company developing The Yards on the Anacostia River waterfront is helping families in Southeast D.C. who are struggling with food insecurity during the coronavirus pandemic.


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LG Partners with Woowa Brothers To Develop Food Delivery Robots

The partnership will aim to produce mobile robots that can deliver food to people’s homes as well to the tables of customers at restaurants.


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Despite Shutdown, Delivery Robots Will Be Back on Campus in Fall

Although they were shut down in late May, the Starship Technologies fleet of autonomous robots on campus will be back to delivering food when most students return to campus in Fall 2020.


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