Today in restaurant and grocery tech news, delivery services sue New York City over fee caps, while Kroger drives loyalty with data-informed recommendations. And Ryan Ostrom, chief marketing officer at Jack in the Box, tells PYMNTS how personalizing the rewards experience and meeting customers on their preferred channels can help QSRs strengthen their brands.
Jack in the Box Goes Big on Custom Data With Side of Loyalty
No matter consumers’ dining preferences, restaurants have made one thing clear: They will continue to invest in loyalty and rewards programs to boost sales and drive spend. The September Order to Eat Tracker® examines how restaurants are plotting their digital investments as consumers return to in-person dining, and how making loyalty and rewards programs part of their success strategies can help them preserve wallet share.
Restaurant Aggregators Sue NYC Over Fee Caps in Move to Shape Future of Delivery Economics
Third-party restaurant aggregators and delivery services DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub sued New York City late Thursday (Sept. 9) over a law the city passed that makes fee caps — which began as a short-term measure during lockdown — permanent. The companies allege that the law “interferes with freely negotiated contracts” and call the measure “irrational,” arguing that it is “driven by naked animosity toward third-party platforms.”
Kroger Closes Q2 With Digital Partnerships, Higher Wages, Rebranding
Kroger closed its second quarter with new digital partnerships, rebranding with a unifying symbol and boosting employees’ wages to $16 per hour, which will scale up to near $21 by the year’s end. Kroger Chairman and CEO Rodney McMullen said in a press release that the company’s second-quarter strategy targeted fresh food and digital momentum, and that its “seamless ecosystem is working,” with shoppers easily moving and engaging across channels.
Kroger Combats Consumers’ Inflation Concerns With Data-Informed Discounts
As consumers grow worried about rising costs, grocery giant Kroger is keeping them shopping with personalized offers through its eCommerce platforms. In its second quarter of 2021, the grocer’s digital sales fell 13% year over year but remained 114% above 2019, driven by data-informed digital messaging.
California’s bill to allow cocktails to go through the end of 2026 heads to Governor Newsom’s desk, Dave & Buster’s sees its highest-ever revenues with the help of digital technologies and JPMorgan Chase acquires restaurant recommendation site The Infatuation.
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