DoorDash & Uber Eats Rumble Down Under
PizzaExpress, KeeTa, 10k in grant money
Today we’ve got a full sized serving of delivery news, from every corner of the globe. From DoorDash and Uber Eats rolling out in Australia and New Zealand, to a new delivery app in Hong Kong, plus some British pizza news, and even an update from an exotic corner of the globe known as New Jersey. Read on!
Today:
Uber Eats’ Aussie Expansion
20 Tri-state Restaurants Get Lucky
Chart Time | Hong Kong’s New Contender?
Pizza Catches Up with the Times in Britain
3PD | DoorDash & Uber Eats Rumble Down Under
Both DoorDash and Uber Eats are making plays for marketshare in the land down under. First Uber Eats went live in 13 new cities, including Alice Springs, in the heart of Australia’s desert. Not to be outdone, DoorDash made big plays in neighboring New Zealand, launching in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.
The Big Picture: These days it seems you’re more likely to hear about one of the big 3PDs retrenching from a competitive market (as we recently saw with Eats in Italy and Israel.) These moves in ANZAC show there are still high income markets ripe for delivery disruption. The 3PDs might not be done yet - Uber also expanded its ridehail operations in Croatia and Malta, perhaps food delivery will be right behind…
RESTAURANTS | 10k Grants Hit NY-NJ Restos
20 lucky restaurants in New York and New Jersey just received $10,000 in grant money, plus eight weeks of training, courtesy of DoorDash, in association with Accion Opportunity Fund, the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, the Five Borough Chamber Alliance, and DeliverZero. The program aims to help restaurants not only recover from the lingering effects of Covid, but retool their restaurants to better make use of delivery and other new technology trends.
The Big Picture: Covid may seem “over,” but many local restaurants are still struggling, especially those that haven’t had the resources to invest in maturing their delivery operations. New data from Deloitte shows that even today, 45% of consumers are dining in-person less often than they did pre-pandemic. Early iterations of the grant / accelerator have assisted restaurants in Atlanta, Chicago, LA and more.
CHART TIME | Keeta Bursts into Hong Kong
Hong Kong’s dining scene is as famous for its food as it is for its competition. Uber Eats learned that the hard way, when it bowed out of the market in 2021, leaving it to Foodpanda (owned by Delivery Hero) and Deliveroo. Now Chinese ecommerce giant Meituan wants a slice of the pie, as its just launched a new delivery brand on the island: KeeTa. In just its first month of operation, the brand has managed to capture an impressive 20% market share in its initial neighborhoods, thanks to splashy promos and aggressive discounting.
1PD | Pizza Express Launches New Delivery Platform, Powered by Uber Direct
British pizza purveyor Pizza Express launched its own delivery platform, with the delightfully literal name “PizzaExpress Delivers.” Powered by Uber Eats’ “Direct” system of couriers on demand, delivery orders will come through Pizza Express’ first party app or website, and tie into its existing omni-channel marketing and rewards ecosystem.
The Big Picture: In the U.S., pizza chains have been some of the earliest adopters and innovators when it comes to delivery technology. Pizza Hut famously started doing online ordering way back in 1994, while Domino’s changed the game in 2008 with its real-time Pizza Tracker. Chains in Europe and the U.K. have been slower to embrace modernity, perhaps because ‘za delivery has never been as popular as in-house dining. Despite having nearly 60 years of experience and 500 locations, PizzaExpress only started investing in white labelled delivery in response to the pandemic.
A Few Good Links
Electric delivery van hauls a record 338,000 pounds. Restaurants hope consumers will opt-in to sustainable packaging. Little Caesar’s knows no limits to bad taste - launches pineapple Pepsi. KFC promos free first party delivery, plus new “fashion” line. DHL Express opens new hub in Atlanta.
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