To-go sales grew 96.4% in May following weeks of dining room closures

Fine dining off-premise sales grew from about 14% pre-COVID to as high as 70%, but this trend will dissipate, Black Box Intelligence CEO Kelli Valade said. 

By Julie Littman • June 4, 2020

DoorDash immerses Snapchat users in AR restaurants

Users can place themselves in virtual interiors from Baskin Robbins, Buffalo Wild Wings, Cheesecake Factory, Chili's and Outback Steakhouse.

By Robert Williams • June 1, 2020

DoorDash to offer turnkey digital storefronts for restaurant partners

The company's "Main Street Strong" program includes waived setup, software and merchant delivery fees for white label online ordering sites for local restaurants.

By Julie Littman • May 29, 2020

DoorDash adds customer tracking for pickup orders

Restaurants will now know when a customer is arriving at the restaurant, which is expected to reduce wait times.

By Julie Littman • May 21, 2020

Potential Uber/Grubhub merger points to inevitable consolidation in delivery market

While acquisitions have been speculated for 18 months, the latest rumors signal a shift in the segment — one that might lead to steeper fees and reduced visibility for restaurants.

By Julie Littman , Emma Liem Beckett • May 18, 2020

Postmates adds curbside pickup feature

The delivery platform's newest feature for merchants enables both customers and drivers to collect orders without entering restaurants.

By Alicia Kelso • May 18, 2020

Pizza ordering platform Slice lands $43M in funding

The company, which provides online ordering tech and marketing solutions for independent pizzerias, will use the cash infusion to enhance and scale its offerings. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • May 13, 2020

Uber bids to acquire Grubhub, reports say

While Grubhub wouldn't comment specifically on a Bloomberg report,  it released a statement that said "consolidation could make sense in our industry, and like any responsible company, we are always looking at value-enhancing opportunities."

By Julie Littman • Updated May 12, 2020

Texas chain petitions governor to make margaritas-to-go available forever

Selling alcoholic beverages with food could attract customers, especially since alcohol sales make up 20% to 30% of restaurant sales in the U.S.

By Julie Littman • Updated May 12, 2020

Chili's plans YouTube dinner party with DoorDash

The food delivery app will livestream the event starring performer Chantel Jeffries and celebrity guests including Britney Spears while donating funds to Feeding America.

By Robert Williams • May 12, 2020

Third-party vs. direct delivery: Debate reaches boiling point amid coronavirus

There's no restaurant roadmap to survive dining room closures. But one thing is certain: pick the wrong off-premise game plan when the stakes are this high, and it could gut your bottom line.

By Emma Liem Beckett • May 7, 2020

Outback's reopened locations report sales down only 17%

Encouraged by results coming from 23 reopened Outback Steakhouses, parent company Bloomin' Brands plans to reopen 336 restaurants across its companies in multiple states. 

By Alicia Kelso • May 7, 2020

Uber Eats to leave 8 global markets

Uber will shutter its food delivery operations in the Czech Republic, Egypt, Honduras, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Ukraine, Uruguay and the United Arab Emirates. 

By Julie Littman • May 6, 2020

DoorDash partners with Pennsylvania AG to extend financial, childcare benefits

Expanded benefits include financial assistance for Dashers who have tested positive for COVID-19 and for top Dashers who have primary childcare responsibilities for children whose schools and daycares have closed.

By Alicia Kelso • May 5, 2020

Popeyes chicken sandwich boosts quarter despite coronavirus pressure

Even during the pandemic, the chicken sandwich's popularity didn't wane. Comp sales were up 26.2% globally while traffic grew 40% during Q1 2020.

By Julie Littman • May 1, 2020

Off-premise may be key to casual dining relief, BTIG research suggests

While sales declines across the casual dining segment are severe, the trend has been steadily improving by an average of 5% per week.

By Alicia Kelso • April 28, 2020

California is paying restaurants to deliver meals to seniors

The program will reimburse restaurants $16 for breakfast meals, $17 for lunch and up to $28 for dinner. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • April 27, 2020

Seattle caps delivery fees at 15% in emergency order

The city's cap became effective Friday and will remain in place until restaurants can reopen their dining rooms. New York City is also considering a 10% cap. 

By Alicia Kelso • Updated April 28, 2020

Takeout sales outpacing delivery amid coronavirus, data shows

Upserve found that while delivery made up 32% of sales in February through its online ordering platform, it represents just 14% of transactions as of April 20, suggesting an uptick of restaurants going online without third-party partners. 

By Lauren Manning • April 23, 2020

Chipotle grows digital sales 81% in Q1 despite coronavirus

The fast casual chain's online sales reached its highest quarterly level at $372 million in Q1, representing over 26% of overall sales.

By Julie Littman • April 22, 2020

Chicago hybrid restaurant offers a side of humor with 'social distance goods'

All Together Now altered its operations to provide a variety of pandemic provisions, including nightly dinners, small bites and its popular wine and cheese pairings for delivery and pickup.

By Julie Littman • April 20, 2020

San Francisco caps food delivery commissions at 15%

An emergency order from Mayor London Breed makes San Francisco the first city to set limits on what third-party delivery platforms can charge restaurants. 

By Alicia Kelso • April 14, 2020

How to transition your restaurant to online ordering during COVID-19

What restaurants need to know about pivoting to a takeout-only business model during the coronavirus pandemic.

April 14, 2020

DoorDash cuts commissions by 50% for local restaurants

More than 150,000 restaurants with less than five locations in the U.S., Australia and Canada will benefit from the reduction through the end of May.

By Alicia Kelso • April 13, 2020

Tripadvisor adds delivery/takeout, gift card information to restaurant listings

The platform has launched a new feature that allows diners and travelers to buy gift cards to their favorite restaurants directly from its website. 

By Alicia Kelso • April 8, 2020