Today in Food Commerce: Rewe Announces Autonomous Store; General Mills Notes Shift Away from Restaurants

Today in food commerce, Sharebite raises $39 million in its Series B funding round and Israel-based computer vision company Trigo announces an autonomous grocery store in partnership with German supermarket chain Rewe. Plus, General Mills notes that, with rising prices, consumers are shifting away from restaurants toward grocery purchases.

Germany’s Rewe Grocery Chain Opens Autonomous Store in Berlin  

Israel-based computer vision company Trigo, which works on frictionless retail checkout, has debuted a new hybrid autonomous grocery store alongside Rewe, a German supermarket group, the companies announced Tuesday (June 28).

Food Expense Management Platform Sharebite Nets $39M for Expansion

Sharebrite, a food benefits platform, announced Tuesday (June 28) that it had closed a Series B round for $39 million, which it intends to use to add more products to “serve the evolving needs” of modern workplaces.

PYMNTS Intelligence: Restaurants Must Lean Into Digital Loyalty Programs

This month’s PYMNTS Intelligence examines the current state of play for restaurant rewards programs, including what customers expect and want from their favorite table-service and quick-service restaurants (QSRs) when it comes to loyalty programs.

Just Eat Takeaway Holds Onto Grubhub as Aggregators Lose to Direct Ordering  

Business software giant Oracle has launched a payment cloud service for restaurants, letting eateries accept all major payment options, according to a Tuesday (June 28) press release. The new product, called Oracle Food and Beverage Payment Cloud Service, lets restaurants take debit and credit cards, as well as Apple Pay, Google Pay and Samsung Pay, the release stated.

 The 5 Features Top-Performing Restaurants Leverage to Drive Loyalty, Sales

Research from PYMNTS’ 2022 Restaurant Friction Index, created in collaboration with Paytronix, which drew from a survey of more than 500 managers of quick-service restaurants (QSRs) and full-service restaurants (FSRs) across the United States, identified the factors that separated the top 30 restaurants that participated from the rest.

Costco Keeps Hot Dog Bargain, but Membership Fee Could Rise

The rumors are false and the bargain remains. Costco’s $1.50 hot dog, a food court steal that comes with a 20-ounce soda, is staying the same price, just as it has since 1985, according to multiple reports.

General Mills Sees Inflation-Wary Consumers Shifting Away from Restaurants Towards Grocery

As consumers increasingly feel the impacts of rising food prices, many are beginning to make the shift from dining out to eating at home. On a call with analysts Wednesday (June 29) discussing the company’s fourth-quarter FY2022 earnings, General Mills chief executive officer Jeff Harmening noted that the company is seeing changes in how consumers are getting their food needs met.