Today in restaurant and grocery tech news, Kroger partners with Bed Bath & Beyond to bring home goods into its physical and digital stores, and Panera Bread teams up with Amex to offer six free months of its MyPanera+ Coffee subscription to new cardholders. Plus, Slava Bocharov, co-founder and CEO of ultra-fast grocery delivery service Buyk, discusses how growth in demand is exceeded only by the number of new entrants in the space, oversaturating the market.
Olo, Uber Expand Restaurant Delivery Fulfillment to Include Alcohol
Olo, which works in on-demand commerce for restaurants, is working alongside Uber to integrate tech to help restaurants expand, a press release says. Uber will put its Uber Direct tech into Dispatch, the delivery fulfillment solution from Olo. That will make efficient delivery technology available.
This Deep Dive examines the rise in various types of fraud affecting the food delivery sector. It also explores how digital ID verification innovations can keep these services, restaurants and their customers safe from cybercriminals.
Kroger Partners With Bed Bath & Beyond as Grocers Expand Offerings Beyond F&B
Grocers are leveraging cross-category partnerships in an effort to become a destination that goes well beyond meeting just consumers’ food and beverage needs. On Tuesday (Nov. 2), Kroger, the largest pure-play grocer in the United States, announced a partnership with home goods retailer Bed Bath & Beyond to offer a limited selection of top-selling home and baby products at the grocer’s stores and on its online shop.
Panera Leverages Payment Companies’ Audiences to Expand Subscriber Base
Free coffee is a tried-and-true perk, and American Express is leveraging consumers’ desire for that morning boost to drive signups. On Wednesday (Nov. 3), the company announced its new MyPanera+ Coffee Subscription Benefit, through which anyone who signs up for a consumer or corporate card between Nov. 1, 2021, and Jan. 31, 2022, can receive a free 6-month membership to Panera Bread’s coffee and tea subscription service.
The Ultra-Fast Grocery Space Delivery is Due for Consolidation
The demand for 15-minute grocery delivery may be growing, but not enough to sustain all the new entrants into the space, argues Slava Bocharov, co-founder and CEO of ultra-fast delivery service Buyk. He predicts that we will soon see a major winnowing out in this easy-to-enter, difficult-to-survive-in space.
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