Today in Food Commerce: Grubhub Unveils Corporate Pay Card; Uber Eats Expands Albertsons Partnership

Today in food commerce, Grubhub launches a pay card for hybrid office workers, and Uber Eats expands its partnership with Albertsons Companies to include 2,000 stores. Plus, Tim Hortons drives loyalty engagement with gamified promotions.

Grubhub Launches Corporate Card for Hybrid Workers

Grubhub is launching a corporate pay card to help drive orders to local eateries and boost order flexibility for people working in offices or at home, the delivery service said Tuesday (May 3).

Uber, Albertsons Companies Expand Partnership to 2,000 Stores

Uber and Albertsons Companies are expanding their partnership to include more stores on Uber Eats, and will now be including 2,000 of the grocer’s stores, according to a Tuesday (May 3) press release from Uber.

Restaurants Continue Automating Amid Staff Shortages, Demanding Consumers

The Order to Eat Tracker®, a PYMNTS and Paytronix collaboration, explores how quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and fast-casual restaurants are tackling the issues affecting frontline workers. It also looks into the many ways eateries are leveraging technology to meet demand and offer an experience that’s satisfying to all.

Interactive Promotions Boost Restaurant Loyalty Programs, Tim Hortons Parent Co. Reports

As restaurant brands look to wrestle back control of digital ordering from third parties, loyalty programs can be their most powerful tool, incentivizing direct ordering and powering regular communication with customers. While limited-time promotions typically only go so far when it comes to driving rewards programs’ enrollment and engagement, Tim Hortons appears to have cracked the code.

Retail Tech Company Clerk Announces $30M Series B as Grocers eCommerce-ify Stores

As grocers look to apply the learnings of eCommerce to the in-store experience, companies that offer the ability to blend the physical and the digital to drive conversion have a major opportunity. On Friday (April 29), retail technology company Clerk announced on LinkedIn that it has raised $30 million in its Series B funding round.

Indian Grocer Zepto Nets $200M for Expansion

Zepto, the Indian grocery startup, has said it’s raised new funding of $200 million, a Reuters report says. This values the company at around $900 million.

Starbucks Shifts Focus from In-Store Experience to Digital Efficiency

Even as consumers are returning to restaurants for indoor dining, Starbucks is turning its attention away from creating inviting on-premise spaces toward boosting the efficiency of digital order fulfillment. The Seattle-based coffeehouse chain, the world’s largest restaurant company by revenue, which has more than 34,000 locations internationally, is stepping up its tech investments, according to a call with analysts Tuesday (May 3) discussing the company’s financial results for the second quarter of 2022.