Groupon To Go Expands

Just a week after Groupon jumped into the online food delivery game with the acquisition of OrderUp, the company announced yesterday (July 30) further plans to expand into delivery and takeout with the launch of Groupon To Go.

The service, which is exclusively available in Chicago for now, is being piloted with more than 500 restaurants and claims to save customers 10 percent or more with instant cash back on every order.

“Most people get delivery and takeout multiple times a month, and with Groupon To Go, we’re giving them an easy way to save money every time they do so,” Sean Smyth, vice president and general manager of Groupon To Go, said in a company release. “Delivery and takeout is a natural extension of our local deals marketplace, adding hundreds of the best restaurants to Groupon — including many that haven’t offered online ordering until now.”

Groupon’s recent move to bring food-delivery service OrderUp into the fold seems to go hand-in-hand with the company’s ongoing efforts to improve its brand and expand past its standard discount offers for their 25 or so million customers.

“The potential in delivery and takeout is apparent — especially with the growth of mobile — and OrderUp’s operational ability, coupled with Groupon’s engaged customer and merchant base, bring tremendous scale to the space,” Groupon CEO Eric Lefkofsky said at the time of the acquisition announcement.

The launch of Groupon To Go will include well-known national food options, including Quiznos, Popeyes, Subway and Papa John’s, as well as some noteworthy Chicago establishments, such as Ditka’s Restaurant, BIG & little’s, Adobo Grill and Rosati’s Pizza.

Groupon confirmed plans to expand the service to other major metro areas throughout the remainder of the year, starting with Austin and Boston this fall. In midsize markets, OrderUp will continue to serve as the company’s delivery and takeout presence.

Groupon To Go customers can expect to see more enhancements to the service as time goes on, such as real-time order tracking, group ordering and the ability to schedule delivery and takeout for another date and time. Groupon also plans to leverage OrderUp’s technology and operations platform to offer delivery fulfillment services for participating restaurants through Groupon To Go.

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