Grubhub Unveils Grubhub Direct, a Commission-Free Platform to Help Restaurants Reach Loyal Diners and Build their Brands Online

Independent restaurants can now use Grubhub technology for their own standalone personalized and branded ordering websites to take commission-free orders, market to their diners and control their customer data

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Grubhub Inc.

May 12, 2021, 09:00 ET

CHICAGO, May 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Grubhub today announced Grubhub Direct, a platform to help independent restaurants better compete online through commission-free online ordering and access to their customer data. With nearly 10 years building branded ordering and loyalty experiences for large restaurant chains, Grubhub is leveraging its expertise to help independent restaurants develop their own customized ordering websites, empowering them to market directly to their diners, receive their diner data and manage their branded website—all without any marketing fees.

Fonts, colors and images are customizable to fit the restaurant’s brand for a consistent look and feel

Restaurants manage their ordering website and monitor its performance through the Grubhub Direct dashboard

"We're constantly listening and learning from our independent restaurant partners, and we've heard them. Restaurants want more options to build their brands online and maintain a loyal base of diners through their own channels," said Matt Maloney, founder and CEO of Grubhub. "That's why we're opening our pipes and allowing restaurants to leverage our technology to grow their own brands and communities online. With Grubhub Direct, we're further supporting restaurants as they rebound from COVID shutdowns into a much larger digital world, by giving them the tools to control their relationships with their diners."

Grubhub Direct makes it easy for restaurants to develop a unique, highly customizable ordering website and start taking orders by leveraging Grubhub's best-in-class technology. Restaurants receive access to a powerful suite of solutions at no extra cost, including:

Website design: Choose the fonts, colors and images that fit the restaurant's brand for a consistent look and feel.
Customer relationship management (CRM): Access diner data including names, email addresses and order history (menu items, lifetime spend, order sizes and fulfillment methods).
Order management: Receive, confirm and cancel orders through the Grubhub platform.
Management portal: Manage menu, hours, financials and other restaurant settings; access reporting and performance insights; and identify future growth opportunities.
Loyalty and promotions: Attract new diners and create loyal ones with Grubhub's loyalty tools; targeted and ROI-driven promotions; and analytics.
Care support: Benefit from Grubhub's support team for help via phone, chat or email.

Grubhub Direct reflects our commitment to better support restaurants and help them build their business online, drawing from our deep experience building and powering ordering and loyalty platforms for leading brands such as Smoothie King. Now, independent restaurants can leverage the tools to connect directly with their diners, in addition to Grubhub's existing Marketplace capabilities, to expand their marketing reach.

"Restaurant owners today are focused on what it takes to run their business and recover from the pandemic," said Amy Le, owner and chef of Saucy Porka. "They often do not have the time that it traditionally takes to develop and manage their own ordering website, which is why tools like Grubhub Direct will give us a way to build our online brand presence and thoughtfully grow the relationship with our diners."

"Our guests are always looking for the best loyalty and rewards, and through our branded ordering app, we have access to the tools and insights that enable us to create personalized promotional campaigns to help our guests on their health and fitness journey," said Rebecca Miller, chief marketing officer at Smoothie King. "In today's digital age, it's crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of our guests and their ordering habits for acquisition and engagement efforts, and Grubhub's technology solves for that—empowering our brand to grow and stand out in a crowded landscape."

Grubhub will not charge any marketing or commissions to restaurants on Grubhub Direct orders. Restaurants will pay standard credit card processing fees and optionally, a highly competitive delivery fee, only if the restaurant chooses to have Grubhub drivers deliver for them. Tens of thousands of Grubhub restaurant partners deliver their own orders and would pay no delivery charge on Grubhub Direct. Additionally, we're waiving setup and monthly hosting fees for Grubhub Direct through April 2022. Access to diner data, loyalty programs and promotions through Grubhub Direct is always free.

For more information and to sign up for Grubhub Direct, please visit get.grubhub.com/grubhub-direct.

About Grubhub
Grubhub (NYSE: GRUB) is a leading online and mobile food-ordering and delivery marketplace with the largest and most comprehensive network of restaurant partners, as well as 33 million active diners. Dedicated to connecting diners with the food they love from their favorite local restaurants, Grubhub elevates food ordering through innovative restaurant technology, easy-to-use platforms and an improved delivery experience. Grubhub features over 300,000 restaurants and is proud to partner with over 280,000 of these restaurants in over 4,000 U.S. cities. The Grubhub portfolio of brands includes Grubhub, Seamless, LevelUp, AllMenus and MenuPages.

SOURCE Grubhub Inc.