Why Grubhub Is Looking Beyond Delivery
Skift Take
Grubhub wants to move beyond delivery through its LevelUp partnership and other partnerships with fast-food chains. Making life easier for restaurateurs through point-of-sale integrations that are easy to use, though, will help it differentiate from its competitors among its restaurant partners.
When Grubhub announced its intention to acquire restaurant tech provider LevelUp for $390 million in July, it was easy to see how LevelUp's loyalty offerings and point-of-sale integration could be crucial to Grubhub's growth in a highly competitive sector.
Stan Chia, chief operating officer of Grubhub, said Monday at Skift Restaurants Forum in New York City that closing on the company's acquisition of LevelUp will allow for deeper partnerships with its restaurant partners. Beyond just partnerships, though, life will become easier for restaurateurs already using Grubhub.
"I never think about this space as third-party delivery, we think about ourselves as a wonderful marketplace where everyone comes together," said Chia. "We think there's a big opportunity in pickup as well, and we look at LevelUp as an organization through pickup. When we looked at this deal, we said they're going to accelerate our ability to be a better partner with restaurants...
"The restaurant space is where r
