Grubhub Checks in to Roomy Wyndham Partnership
Congress eyes portable benefits, electrification efforts fall short, Walmart beats Amazon
Big partnerships, big policy shifts, electrifying vehicles and juicy charts — oh what a news day!
Modern Delivery will be off next week, returning on July 28th.
This week we have extra industry coverage, thanks to our partners at Everee.
Today:
Grubhub+ Comes to 6,000 Wyndhams
Congress Considers Nationwide Portable Benefits
Chart Time | Prime Day Loses Race to Walmart+ Week
Electrification Efforts Short Out
PARTNERSHIPS | Grubhub Brings Delivery to 6,000 Wyndham Hotels
Grubhub is doubling down on its unique hotel partnership approach, as the 3DP just inked a deal with hotelier Wyndham’s entire U.S. portfolio, representing nearly 6,000 hotels, spanning 20 brands like Days Inn, Super 8 and La Quinta. Available to both hotel workers and guests, users will scan a QR code to get access to a complimentary six-month Grubhub+ membership, which unlocks $0 delivery on eligible orders, lower service fees and a 5% credit back on pickup orders, both at the hotel and back off site.
The Big Picture: Partnering up with hotel groups has shown itself to be a differentiated strategy for the Wonder-owned deliverer. In the past, Grubhub has teamed up with Sonesta, Choice Hotels, Hilton, Extended Stay America and others, but this new deal is its largest yet. “Wyndham has one of largest footprints of any major hotel company in the U.S. Together, we’re elevating the on-property experience, delivering seamless convenience for not only the the hundreds of thousands of guests that walk through their doors every year, but also the tens of thousands of hotel team members who make those hotel stays possible.” – Rob DelaCruz, VP and General Manager, Campus and Hospitality, Grubhub. These collaborations have also shown themselves to help hotel groups drive loyalty and return visits.
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POLICY | Will Portable Benefits Go Nationwide?
Senate Republicans are advancing a package of legislation to change Federal labor laws for America’s 27 million independent and gig workers. The key bills are:
Senator Cassidy’s Unlocking Benefits for Independent Workers Act: Establishes a safe harbor under federal law for companies that voluntarily provide benefits.
Senator Scott’s Modern Worker Empowerment Act: Instituting a single employment test under federal law.
Senator Paul’s Association Health Plans Act: Amending the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA) to give small business employees, sole proprietors, and gig workers the ability to aggregate together and access health insurance through Association Health Plans (AHPs), which the CBO estimates would bring insurance to 400,000 additional workers.
Senator Cassidy’s Independent Retirement Fairness Act: Allowing independent workers to participate in retirement plans, like pooled employer plans and single employee pension IRAs, that are already available under federal law.
The Big Picture: The National Retail Federation, Flex Association and DoorDash have come out in favor of the legislative package. While this Federal-level effort looks to be pushed by some of the Senate’s most conservative members, state-level updates have generally been slightly more bipartisan affairs. Portable benefits have been piloted in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Maryland, while Alabama, Tennessee and Wisconsin have recently passed legislation to enable similar retirement savings plan and health insurance systems.
CHART TIME | Walmart+ Week Beat Amazon Prime Day on Speed
Amazon and Walmart just finished duking it out with their respective deal weeks, and both retailers notched big sales gains. Amazon came out ahead overall, while the battle for groceries is tightening, but Walmart interestingly eked out a win among shoppers looking for same-day delivery. Maybe that nationwide footprint of stores beats out Amazon’s fulfillment centers?
EVs | TNC Electrification Efforts Fall Short
The ridehailing and food delivery giants all made splashy promises to massively electrify their fleets, but current data suggests they’re all a long way from their goals. Five years ago, Uber promised to be zero emissions by 2040; Southeast Asia’s Grab promised carbon neutrality by 2040 as well. Lyft was even more ambitious, aiming for 100% EVs by 2030, while the delivery apps pledged to green up their acts too. Gartner now estimates that currently, the fleets of platforms like Lyft, Uber and Grab are less than 1% electrified, worldwide. Political headwinds are unlikely to improve the situation: while EV sales and charger installs have jumped as buyers race to get ahead of expiring credits, the end of subsidies will ultimately make it harder for low-income workers and fleet operators to afford electric vehicles.
The Big Picture: The big TNCs and 3PDs may have an unexpected ace up their sleeves: autonomy. After all, every commercial robotaxi, delivery bot and aerial drone runs off purely electric power systems. Uber, for its part, just announced a new partnership with Lucid and Nuro, to deploy 20,000+ Level 4 autonomous EVs exclusively to its network. Uber is also planning an investment into Nuro and Lucid, as part of the collaboration.
A Few Good Links
Federal legislators give up on excise tax updates. USPS’ new CEO vows to stay public, OIG accuses multi-carrier platforms of overcharging. Taco Bell tests new value menu. McDonald’s Canada names new CEO. Del Taco franchisee succumbs to predatory merchant cash advances. Upshot unveils AI-powered replenishment tool. Congress okays stablecoins. Oregon adopts more clean trucking rules. Port of LA volume surges as shippers try to beat new tariffs. Steve Greenfield talks mobility investment. Lyft partners with Alaska Mileage Plan. Can AI deter package thieves? Wealthy New Yorkers turn to Tote Taxi to lug luxuries to Hamptons. 19Labs brings medical drones to Guyana. Prosus offers to sell down Delivery Hero stake to win EU blessing of Just Eat Takeaway.com deal.
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