Domino's New App, Teamsters & UPS Duel
DoorDash's decade of deliveries, Rodeo centralizes gigging
Say goodbye to another big week; we’re that much closer to the holidays! But your nondenominational gift giving may be ruined if the Teamsters and UPS can’t make peace in Louisville. Meanwhile, Domino’s is unwrapping Dom.OS, Rodeo is changing the game for gig work in Ol’ Blighty and DoorDash is dropping off ten years of favored foods.
Today’s edition is brought to you by Curbivore’s Call for 2024 Speakers.
Today:
Domino’s Reboots Its App, Website, Tracker
Rodeo Rethinks UK Gig Work
Chart Time | DoorDash’s Delicious Decade
UPS — Teamsters Fight While Xmas Looms
1PD | Domino’s to Relaunch App, Website, Tracking Tools
Domino’s has long been a delivery and tech leader, including highlights like rolling out the “pizza tracker” way back in 2008 or launching pinpoint delivery this past summer. The pie slinger isn’t content to rest on its greasy laurels, as its rolling out “Dom.OS” — a series of smart tools that update its technology systems. In 2024, customers can expect to see a new app and new website, while workers will get more tools to monitor operations. And both sides will rejoice when they see an even more detailed, easier to use pizza tracker.
The Big Picture: Having a first party app and an in-house delivery fleet is key to making delivery a fundamental part of your business, as opposed to just an add-on. But if you’re not continually reinvesting in the product, you’ll quickly fall behind the 3PD leaders. Domino’s sees its updates turning around a business that’s floundered for the past few years; the average operator should generate $160K in EBIDTA in 2023, up 15% YoY. Glomming third party delivery on to its existing business should add another $3B in sales over the next five years.
CURBIVORE | Do You Want to Speak at Our 2024 Conference?
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POLICY | Rodeo Hopes to Centralize U.K. Gigging
Much of our modern, third party delivery infrastructure runs on the backs of gig workers, who often have to hop between apps as they look for the best opportunities in a given moment. In the U.K., Rodeo is a new platform that’s working to centralize the gig marketplaces, letting workers easily sign up for multiple services without duplicating effort. Even more importantly, the company is building a centralized dispatching tool, hoping to allow workers to accept jobs from multiple providers, all from the same screen.
The Big Picture: Getting rid of literal multi-apping would be a dream for workers in any locale, but it’s of course tough to get the 3PDs to give up their relationships with workers over to a middleman. In general the United Kingdom has different regulations about employment, vehicles and congestion — Rodeo is hoping new laws will force the gig marketplaces to open up access as well. Read the full interview with company founder Alfie Pearce-Higgins for more insights.
CHART TIME | A Decade of DoorDash Delights
DoorDash is doling out data on its most popular items, as the 3PD celebrates a decade plus of delivery. Top foods include fries, chicken quesadillas, mozz sticks, garlic naan and spicy chicken sandos; top groceries include bananas, roma tomatoes, strawberries, cucumbers and cilantro; top booze choices are vodka, hard seltzer, tequila, sauv blanc and prosecco. Oh and since 2014 the company has delivered over 600 million french fry orders. We got a tummy ache AND hangover just writing that…
LABOR | Teamsters May Strike at UPS Centennial Hub
It might no longer be “hot labor summer,” but UPS may ruin Christmas if it can’t reach another agreement with the Teamsters. Local 89, which represents 12,000 workers at the company’s primary air hub in Louisville, have filed an unfair labor practice charge, after the company laid off specialist and admin workers, claiming the work could be done by management. While the company has until Monday to address the situation, it’s been a long time coming — management and workers have been fighting over whether specialists and admins could make their own bargaining unit since October.
The Big Picture: Kentucky may be an anti-union state, but the Teamsters are strong enough to flex their muscle at this all important air hub, which could ground much of the shipper’s cross-country logistics network. With FedEx’s air operations just a few miles away in Memphis, some customers may start preemptively rerouting deliveries to avoid any impacts during this critical holiday season.
A Few Good Links
Drive-thru drink chain Swig looks to expand. Resto analytics startup Blink closes seed round. SoundHound AI buys SYNQ3 to create voice-ordering juggernaut. Yellow rejects shaky bid to restart business. Yesway chooses Relay for fuel payment. Convenience stores add EV chargers to lure shoppers. Amazon tests unlimited grocery deliveries.
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