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Gopuff, the delivery service that offers everything from Doritos to dog food, is moving further into restaurant delivery.
The company said last week it would start delivering burgers and fries from BurgerFi in Florida. It’s Gopuff’s first partnership with a restaurant brand, and a unique one for the industry.
It’s not the company’s first foray into delivering hot food, though. It has been doing that through its Gopuff Kitchen platform, preparing the food itself in kitchens at some of its microfulfillment centers.
But the deal with BurgerFi is a bit different. The 116-unit burger brand is parking a food truck outside of a Gopuff fulfillment center in Tallahassee, according to a company representative. Customers can order food from the location on Gopuff, to be prepared in the truck by BurgerFi workers and delivered by Gopuff drivers.
Customers will be able to order a selection of burgers, chicken sandwiches and fries alongside other Gopuff items for delivery in 30 minutes, according to the company. Notably, the menu will only be available from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., positioning it as a late-night option when fewer restaurants are open.
The setup could be a peek into Gopuff’s plans to compete more with the big third-party delivery players. Keeping its restaurant partners close—i.e., in the parking lot—theoretically allows it to continue operating as an efficient “one-stop shop” for customers.
On the other hand, it limits the number of restaurants it can realistically work with, which is where the big providers have an advantage. And they’re quickly adding many of the nonfood products Gopuff offers, too.
But Gopuff, which was recently valued at $15 billion and was exploring an IPO, is a formidable delivery player in its own right. At the end of the day, a BurgerFi add-on gives it one more thing to offer customers without adding too much complexity to its own operations.
Food from BurgerFi's "Fi on the Fly" food truck will be available on Gopuff. / Photograph courtesy of BurgerFi
ParTech (PAR) acquired a drive-thru technology company. The big tech supplier bought Techknow, a company that makes drive-thru timers, adding a new tool to its existing drive-thru product for chain restaurants. PAR said the technology will allow restaurants to reduce drive-thru wait times and monitor performance down to the store level. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
And Xenial got a patent for new drive-thru technology. The restaurant tech company has developed a new product that uses AI voice automation and video to help operators improve speed and accuracy in the drive-thru. The system tracks every step of the process, allowing restaurants to identify and fix backups, the company said. It can also generate automatic upsells for customers.
Automated burger concept RoboBurger made its debut. The robotic burger vending machine cooks burgers to order in about six minutes. It opened its first location in the Newport Centre mall in Jersey City, N.J., last week and will look to enter other nontraditional locations like airports, hospitals and college campuses. Its machines offer freshly grilled burgers around the clock for $6.99. The company was founded in 2019 by entrepreneur Audley Wilson and calls itself the first fully autonomous robotic burger chef.
RoboBurger measures 12 square feet and includes a refrigerator and automated griddle. / Photograph courtesy of RoboBurger
The city of Miami renewed a policy that regulates businesses like Reef Kitchens. The ordinance was passed last year to create a framework for food businesses that fall outside of traditional restaurant formats. (Reef operates ghost kitchens out of mobile trailers in parking lots.) The Miami-based company has run into problems in other cities where its business has violated regulations, but its hometown has been proactive in crafting laws to fit Reef’s model.
Payment startup Sunday is adding an ordering feature. The company launched last year with a product that allows restaurant customers to scan a QR code to pay with their phones. Now, it’s offering them the ability to order that way as well. The company said the system makes operations more efficient and increases check averages and tips. Sunday raised $100 million in September and is now working with more than 5,000 restaurants worldwide.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this story misstated Gopuff's valuation. It is valued at $15 billion.
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