Today in Food Commerce: Restaurant Robotics Company Announces $81M Series B; Grocery Gains eCommerce Share

Today in food commerce, Bear Robotics boosts the total funding for its automated server solutions to $117 million, and data reveal that the share of total eCommerce spending accounted for by grocery is on the rise. Plus, a PYMNTS study shows how digital initiatives can help restaurants boost customer satisfaction.

Loyalty Program Data, Targeted Surveys Help Restaurants Hit Their Customer Satisfaction Goals

In the latest Order To Eat Tracker®, PYMNTS examines how the digital transformation in restaurants is meeting millennial and Generation Z consumers’ preferences for convenience and time-saving solutions.

Bear Robotics Announces $81M Series B as Restaurants Struggle to Meet Dining Demand

On Tuesday (March 15), Bear Robotics, the Redwood City, California-based hospitality technology company behind “Servi,” a self-driving robotic waiter and busser, announced that it has raised $81 million in its Series B funding round, bringing the company’s total funding to $117 million.

U.S. Consumers Made $1.7T in Pandemic eCommerce Purchases

In 2021, 41.8% of overall eCommerce spending across the U.S. came in groceries, electronics and apparel, according to Adobe. Groceries represent 8.9% of the overall eCommerce spending at $79.2 billion in 2021, up from $73.7 billion in 2020, which was more than double the amount spent online on groceries in 2019.

Ultrafast Grocery Acquisitions Continue Amid Category’s Demand for Consolidation

Because reaching scale is ultrafast grocers’ only hope of making the model work, the number of players currently making moves in the space around the world is unsustainable, and already there has been a significant amount of consolidation in this young category. This week, for instance, media reports revealed that German quick-commerce startup Gorillas finalized the closing of its first acquisition deal for the French delivery startup Frichti for undisclosed terms.

Food Sellers Diversify Across Categories to Meet Expectations, Drive Spending

Increasingly, consumers are growing to expect their on-demand food providers to span categories. Restaurant aggregators such as DoorDash and Uber Eats are making moves into the grocery space, while online grocery marketplace Instacart has begun firing back by offering meal solutions.