Today in Food Commerce: DoorDash Acquires Wolt; Chipotle Accepts Crypto Nationwide

Today in food commerce, DoorDash announces the completion of its acquisition of Finnish aggregator Wolt, and payments network Flexa announces that Chipotle is now accepting cryptocurrency payments at all U.S. stores. Plus, restaurants add new fees in response to inflation.

DoorDash Becomes Major International Competitor With Close of Wolt Acquisition

DoorDash is no longer just a heavyweight in the United States. The San Francisco-based restaurant aggregator announced Wednesday (June 1) the completion of its acquisition of Helsinki-based aggregator Wolt, growing the number of countries in which DoorDash operates nearly fivefold.

Walmart’s New eCommerce Chief Calls Stores ‘Shoppable Fulfillment Centers’

Walmart U.S. Chief eCommerce Officer Tom Ward said shoppers have become more reliant on eCommerce since the start of the pandemic, and he sees his company as ready to embrace that transformation, as brick-and-mortar stores have a new place in our lives these days.

Chipotle Adds Crypto Payment Acceptance Nationwide

Chipotle is going all in on cryptocurrencies. On Wednesday (June 1), pure-digital payments network Flexa announced in a Medium post that the fast-casual chain, which has more than 3,000 restaurants across five countries (and 2,975+ in the United States), has begun accepting digital currency payments at all U.S. locations exclusively through the company’s network.

Restaurants Slip in New Consumer Fees as Their Costs Skyrocket

As restaurants seek out different ways to maintain their profit margins in the face of soaring food costs, some are going the underhanded route, slipping in new fees to boost check sizes without obvious menu price increases. Fees with names including “noncash adjustment,” “fuel surcharge,” or “kitchen appreciation” have been popping up on checks, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday (June 2).