The Food Connector’s Post

In the past few years, the lines between "dining" and "grocery" have begun to blur thanks to on-demand delivery services like Instacart, Grubhub, and DoorDash. It's taken consumers beyond mere "convenience," and for many, it has fundamentally altered their relationships with food. Historically, restaurants, especially QSRs, have been a convenient option when consumers find themselves short on food at home or lacking general necessities, but these services could completely change that. In the long run, do you think this will ultimately do any sort of damage to restaurants? And if so, will it turn would-be profits for restaurants over to the hands of grocery stores? #RestaurantTrends #RetailTrends #Retail

Are Food Delivery and eGrocery sectors synergetic? We are increasingly seeing that both these hyperlocal sectors are partnering as seen with the recent Uber Eats and Instacart partnership. They are not alone and there are such many examples : 1) Careem has both grocery Food delivery and grocery delivery as core to their SuperApp strategy 2) Food delivery aggragator, Delivery Hero acquired InstaShop, a grocery marketplace in the GCC 3) Zomato, an Indian Food delivery aggregator, has launched Blinkit for ecommerce delivery. Their leadership believes that Blinkit will one day be actually bigger than Zomato business Prima facie, it does make sense - 1) Share of wallet: Grocery and Food are part of a similar intrinsic need for serving the stomach for consumers. This increases the share of wallet for the platforms. 2) Operational Synergies: Both are hyperlocal services where customers want the product within an hour. This requires strong logistical capabilities which can be synergetic across operations. However, there are challenges: 1) Different margin profiles: Grocery margins tend to much lower than restaurant margins resulting in margin pressures 2) Different capabilities: Quick delivery for grocery and lower margins has meant "dark stores" to become critical for hyperlocal grocery players. This requires additional investments and a different set of capability In the long term, there are definite synergies but the challenge will be to balance the short term needs for the players which might be diverging. A classic growth vs profitability / short-term vs long-term tension. https://lnkd.in/drpVAFpP

Late night thought: Vending isn't cheap. There’s a common misconception I keep running into when discussing vending with potential prospects: that vending is—or should be—cheap. This blows my mind. Would you go grocery shopping at Twice Daily? No, of course not. Why? Because they don't have the selection (obviously), but whatever they do have would be too expensive. They’re a convenience store. They’re for… convenience. Is it cheaper to buy in-store or use DoorDash? That’s an obvious one. A $1 Diet Coke at McDonald’s becomes $5.50 on DoorDash. Why? Convenience. How do I know?... None ya business. 🤣 When you consider these examples, they all represent premium services based on convenience. When done right, vending requires a lot of effort: monitoring inventory levels, managing expiration dates, and setting up planograms—all to deliver one thing: convenience to the customer. So, it baffles me when people ask if I can sell a Coke for $1. Can you get it at a gas station for $1? Can you get it on DoorDash for $1? If not, then you probably won’t get it from me for $1 either. That doesn’t mean I don’t strive to provide great service and competitive pricing—but we are by no means “cheap.” We’re the ultimate level of convenience. #Convenience #Vending #Business #CustomerService #NewAgeVending

Food ordering and delivery marketplace Grubhub and Mercato, an online platform for independent grocery stores, have joined forces to bring Mercato’s inventory of 950-plus retailers across the United States to the Grubhub Marketplace. Customers can now order from hundreds of locations, with all retailers becoming available over the next few weeks. Through this first-ever third-party delivery partnership for Mercato, Grubhub is growing its Marketplace selection to offer grocery, convenience and alcohol retailers. Meanwhile, Mercato’s retailers can increase their business and e-commerce footprint with access to Grubhub’s millions of customers through the partnership. Mercato’s retailer partners span 38 states and 320-plus cities, including such major markets as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Boston. | Progressive Grocer https://lnkd.in/gWiAQn7c #retail #supermarkets #grocery #ecommerce #grocerydelivery #food

🚀 Exciting News in Grocery Delivery! 🥕🛒 Did you hear? The restaurant delivery company has teamed up with nearly 1,800 grocery stores to deliver groceries in as little as an hour! 🌟 This new partnership means faster, convenient shopping for everyone. Check out the full story on Supply Chain Dive: [Read more](https://lnkd.in/gyKvEFwQ) #GroceryDelivery #SupplyChain #FastService #FoodDelivery 🚚💨

Key Updates in the Food Delivery Industry: 1. Instacart is expanding its service portfolio by adding restaurant delivery through a new partnership with Uber Eats. This move builds on Instacart's efforts to diversify beyond its core grocery delivery offerings. (Source: Grocery Dive) 2. Carrefour Polska is broadening its collaboration with Wolt, extending the partnership to 59 stores across Poland after a successful pilot in two locations. This expansion highlights Carrefour's commitment to enhancing its delivery capabilities and reaching more customers. (Source: ESM) 3. Ocado, Lidl, and M&S have been recognized as the UK's fastest-growing grocers, according to recent data from NIQ. Ocado continues to lead in the online supermarket sector, while Lidl and Marks & Spencer are making significant strides in the discount and upmarket grocery segments, respectively. (Source: Reuters) Stay tuned for more updates as the food delivery industry continues to innovate and evolve! #FoodDelivery #TechInnovation #IndustryNews #DoorDash #DeliveryHero #Talabat #CustomerExperience #Sustainability #FinancialStrategy #Carrefour #Wolt #Ocado #Lidl

Are third-party delivery partners helping or hindering your bottom line? When multiple retailers are aggregated within a single platform, competition is based on margins rather than service or quality. This is especially damaging for grocers in our current economic climate. Some recent initiatives — like the partnership between UberEats and Instacart — are making things even more difficult for grocers to appeal to consumers on a service or convenience basis. The increased competition for high-convenience and high-margin grocery items like meal kits, ready-to-go foods, and prepared meals is taking away an area of sales that have traditionally been lucrative for grocers. Click the link below to learn why you should prioritize first-party engagement over third-party reliance: https://mct.media/3V0KOFJ

Game-changer alert! 🚨 B&Q is teaming up with Deliveroo to bring DIY supplies to your doorstep in under 25 minutes. This isn’t just about speed; it’s a major shift in how we shop for home improvement items. This partnership signifies a huge leap forward for the retail industry. It demonstrates the growing demand for instant gratification and convenience, and how traditional retailers are adapting to meet these evolving consumer expectations. The delivery specialist has inked partnerships with retailers including The Perfume Shop, Ann Summers and Boots UK over the past year. Could this be the future of shopping? 🛍️ #retailinnovation #DIY #Deliveroo #B&Q #ondemanddelivery #futureofshopping

As delivery apps create more cross-segment partnerships, they are adding to the “get it now” culture while quietly creating super-apps that intend to be an all-in-one provider of goods and services. “as on-demand delivery culture has been standardized over the last several years, consumers want to make grocery and restaurant purchases simultaneously. Delivery services are becoming keenly aware of this growing need, so they have begun offering more retail purchasing options alongside restaurant delivery.” #retail #restaurants #delivery #getitnowculture

🍗 DoorDash Insights: Top 3 Cancellation Reasons for Chicken Restaurants in June 🚚 As the food delivery landscape continues to evolve, understanding the challenges faced by restaurants and delivery services is crucial. Recent data from DoorDash reveals interesting trends in cancellations for chicken restaurants during June. Here are the top three reasons: 🔄 Wrong Order Given to Driver - This highlights the importance of clear communication and double-checking orders before handoff. Implementing robust order verification systems could significantly reduce these issues. 🔒 Store Was Closed Unexpected - closures can lead to frustrated customers and wasted driver time. Keeping business hours up-to-date on all platforms is essential for smooth operations. ⚠️ Store Operations Issue Internal challenges can ripple out to affect delivery services. Streamlining back-of-house processes and maintaining equipment can help minimize these disruptions. These insights underscore the need for seamless coordination between restaurants, delivery platforms, and drivers. By addressing these key areas, we can enhance the delivery experience for all stakeholders. 🤝 What strategies have you seen work well in reducing delivery cancellations? Share your thoughts below! 💡 #FoodDelivery 🍽️ #RestaurantTech 📱 #DoorDash 🚗 #Delivery #KFC #popeyes #wingstop #thirdpartydelivery #ubereats