Today in Food Tech: Target Touts Drive-Up Grocery Sales; Brinker Prioritizes Dine-In

Today in restaurant and grocery tech news, Target sees grocery sales grow at double the rate of Walmart, while Brinker International slows its virtual brand expansion to focus on the on-premises experience. Plus, Subway’s senior director of digital talks about building a data-informed relationship with online customers.

Subway Rolls With Personal Digitized Loyalty In Delicate Dance With Aggregators

Dan Holm of Subway explains how the restaurant uses digital features and loyalty programs to own the customer relationship rather than ceding it to aggregators.

Drive Up Drives Up Grocery Sales At Target With 2x Growth Over Walmart

Target’s grocery business may be an order of magnitude smaller than its competitor Walmart, but in terms of growth rate, it is the clear winner. Its food and beverage category saw low double-digit growth in the second quarter of 2021, compared to Walmart’s 6 percent increase.

Chili’s, Maggiano’s Parent Company Slows Virtual Brand Growth To Focus On Dine-In

Brinker International, the parent company of Chili’s Grill & Bar, is taking the rollout of its second virtual brand slower than the first to focus on on-premises dining, despite the looming threat of the Delta variant.

RBI-Backed Home Chef Marketplace WoodSpoon Brings Personal Connections to On-Demand Delivery

As consumers continue to seek out quick and easy ways to get their food needs met, WoodSpoon CEO and Co-Founder Oren Saar told PYMNTS that building a personal connection can create loyalty in the competitive food delivery marketplace.