Today in Food Commerce: McDonald’s Partners With Just Eat Takeaway; DC Sues Grubhub

Today in food commerce, the District of Columbia sues Grubhub for alleged misleading claims, and McDonald’s signs a long-term strategic partnership with Just Eat Takeaway. Plus, Gopuff makes moves to compete with leading restaurant aggregators.

DC Lawsuit Accuses Grubhub of Deceptive Practices

In most of the country, conversations about aggregator fee caps, so front-of-mind for those in the restaurant industry throughout the first year of the pandemic, have more or less faded to the background. Now, however, Washington, D.C., Attorney General Karl Racine is resurfacing the issue, with the District of Columbia suing Grubhub for alleged misleading claims.

Gopuff Moves into Restaurant Delivery with BurgerFi Partnership

When it comes to ordering meal delivery, consumers have plenty of options, from leading third-party aggregators to smaller, regional players to restaurants that offer in-house delivery. Soon, delivery providers may have one more major player against which to contend. Digital on-demand convenience service Gopuff announced Monday (March 21) its first restaurant partner for Gopuff Kitchen, its meal delivery service, which has previously sold meals prepared in-house.

McDonald’s, Just Eat Takeaway Form Delivery Partnership

Just Eat Takeaway, Europe’s largest meal ordering service, has signed a long-term strategic partnership with McDonald’s to expand delivery. McDonald’s has offered delivery through its McDelivery program for the last five years, with the service expanding from 3,000 locations at launch to more than 33,000 restaurants in 300 countries today, Just Eat Takeaway said.

Zomato’s 10-Min Delivery Plan Draws Criticism

Indian food delivery service Zomato has gotten a wave of social media backlash over its plans to launch a 10-minute food delivery service that critics say endangers drivers and riders. As Reuters reported Tuesday (March 22), Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal announced Monday (March 21) that “Zomato Instant” would use a densely located network of food “finishing stations” to deliver popular items from restaurants with the help of a demand prediction algorithm.

Payfare Increases Fuel Cashback for DoorDash Drivers to 10%

Payfare, the FinTech that allows instant payouts and digital banking solutions for the gig economy, has increased fuel purchase rewards for DoorDash workers in the United States, the Toronto-based company announced Tuesday (March 22). Cardholders with a Payfare DasherDirect debit card can now earn 10% cash back on gas, up from 2%.