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Tag: Restaurants

  • Panera CEO: Ecommerce Pivot Sparks Dramatic Growth

    Panera CEO: Ecommerce Pivot Sparks Dramatic Growth

    “Close to 60 percent of our sales are coming from e-commerce,” says Panera CEO Niren Chaudhary. “By focusing on servicing customers through our off-premise channels, leveraging e-commerce, and then rapidly innovating we’ve seen a very smart recovery on our brand and also a stronger business model emerging from the pandemic. What’s clearly playing out is the off-premise channel is seeing dramatic growth.”

    Niren Chaudhary, CEO of Panera, discusses how the company has focused on ecommerce and the “off-premise channel” to drive dramatic growth:

    Panera’s Ecommerce Pivot Sparks Dramatic Growth

    Panera is actually emerging quite strongly through the pandemic because we’ve been completely focused on what we have control over. By focusing on servicing customers through our off-premise channels, leveraging e-commerce, and then rapidly innovating we’ve seen a very smart recovery on our brand and also a stronger business model emerging from the pandemic. What’s clearly playing out is the off-premise channel is seeing dramatic growth.

    To give you a sense, our delivery is growing by over 100 percent, drive-throughs are growing by over 60-70 percent, and rapid pickup is seeing strong growth. The off-premise channels are growing very strongly and in some ways compensating for the decline in business on-premise. Pre-pandemic we were probably about 60-40 in terms of off-premise versus on-premise. Now it is predominantly off-premise convenience for our customers as we’re moving in that direction.

    Close to 60 percent of our sales are coming from e-commerce. Brands that are able to leverage their e-commerce strength and pivot very sharply on providing convenience and off-premise are beginning to see a smart recovery.

    It’s All About Convenience, Ecommerce, and Innovation

    There are three levers that we’re working on to get our business back on track: convenience, e-commerce, and then meaningful innovation. Included in that are cool foods, a coffee subscription program, and most recently the flatbread pizza launch. We’re very excited about this because it’s the launch of a new food category at Panera, one that we haven’t had before. It’s a bullseye innovation in terms of what the customer is looking for at this time. Customers are looking for a warm shareable at-home meal solution for their families. The flatbread pizza fits perfectly for that.

    We’re doing it in a uniquely Panera way as you would expect. We’re leveraging the credibility of our breads. We have unique ingredients that are all clean, they’re fresh, we have double blend cheese, bold flavors of our sauces, and it’s stone-baked. Think of this as a pizza that customers love but done in a very unique Panera way. That’s why we’re so excited.

    Panera CEO Niren Chaudhary: Ecommerce Pivot Sparks Dramatic Growth
  • Digital, Drive-Through, Delivery Powering McDonald’s

    Digital, Drive-Through, Delivery Powering McDonald’s

    “I know everyone wants to focus on the Travis Scott Meal and Spicy Chicken McNuggets which definitely contributed to the fantastic September that we had,” says McDonald’s USA President Joe Erlinger. “But the setup for this great quarter actually started much earlier in the year. Our drive-throughs have been getting faster at McDonald’s. We’ve made a lot of investments in digital and drive-through and delivery as well.”

    https://youtu.be/8K0lnarZ0oQ

    Joe Erlinger, President of McDonald’s USA, says that the Travis Scott Meal promotion is helping but their latest earnings results are actually powered by improvements in digital, drive-through, and delivery:

    Digital, Drive-Through and Delivery Powering McDonald’s

    I know everyone wants to focus on the Travis Scott Meal and Spicy Chicken McNuggets which definitely contributed to the fantastic September that we had. But the setup for this great quarter actually started much earlier in the year. Our drive-throughs have been getting faster at McDonald’s. We’ve made a lot of investments in digital and drive-through and delivery as well.

    Then really we made a lot of changes to our business model as the pandemic set upon us including over 50 changes in operations. We limited our menu and we’ve made our restaurants easier to run. At the same time, we conserved some of our marketing funds. We began to unleash those marketing funds in the third quarter. That’s what set up this great result of 4.6% double-digit comps in September.

    Breakfast Is BACK At McDonalds

    When we entered the pandemic we had reversed what was a long-term trend of negative guest counts. It’s been lost in the results of what happened in the epidemic. But in January and February, we actually had positive comps at breakfast and positive guest counts. It goes without saying that we don’t sell the Spicy McNuggets or the Travis Scott orders at breakfast and we’ve obviously seen positive comps across all dayparts.

    So we are actually very optimistic about the daypart. We’re excited about the bakery launch that’ll take place later this month. We’ve got a real built-in advantage on this because of our drive-throughs and just because of our overall convenience factor. I like the characterization that yes, breakfast is back at McDonald’s.

    Mood Amongst Franchisees Is Strong

    Franchisees did come into this in a position of absolute strength. In fact, 2019 was the highest cash flow year ever for our franchisees. Some of the steps that we took through the pandemic both to support them in terms of their liquidity but also to make the operations of the restaurant easier (helped significantly). We actually improved margins at the restaurant level as well.

    They’re actually coming out of the worst of the pandemic in a very good position and in a very strong financial position. The mood amongst our franchisees is strong. I was in restaurants uh in Washington state a few weeks ago. Last week I was actually in Washington DC. There’s a lot of optimism confidence as we enter the fourth quarter.

    Digital, Drive-Through, Delivery Powering McDonald’s
  • Uber CEO Says ‘Eats’ Growing At Unprecedented Rate

    Uber CEO Says ‘Eats’ Growing At Unprecedented Rate

    “The Uber Eats business continues to grow at unprecedented rates,” says Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi. “Revenue has almost tripled year on year. That business continues to accelerate. It looks like the Eats business is sticky. I wouldn’t count on the growth rates we are having now post-pandemic. However, I do think that you are going to have big growth rates off of a much larger base as a result of everything that has happened.”

    Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says that Uber Eats is growing at unprecedented rates during the pandemic and he expects the business to do well post-pandemic as well:

    Uber Eats Growing At Unprecedented Rate

    On the Uber Eats side, it is an entirely different story where the business continues to grow at unprecedented rates. Revenue has almost tripled year on year. That business continues to accelerate. When we look at Eats we are seeing some great trends. The monthly actives on Eats are up 70% on a year on year basis. The trips are up 110% on a year on year basis. New orders, orders per eater, or basket sizes, all of these trends are up double-digit.

    We’ve taken a look at Eats’ performance in markets that are opening up such as New York City and we haven’t seen any kind of performance degradation in Eats. What that suggests to us is that there is a whole new class of consumer that’s experiencing the delight of being able to pick anything and have it delivered within 30 minutes and eat what you want how you want it. It looks like the Eats business is sticky. I wouldn’t count on the growth rates we are having now post-pandemic. However, I do think that you are going to have big growth rates off of a much larger base as a result of everything that has happened.

    As Cities Open Up Uber Opens Up

    It really is impossible to tell when the mobility business can come back. It depends entirely on the health situation on the ground. With markets that are opening up faster because of the health situation or the society, things are coming back. For example, we looked in New York City where the counts have been down relative to the rest of the country and in just October our volumes were 63% of pre-pandemic levels. This is materially higher than they were in the rest of the nation.

    You have week-day use cases of the service outside of commute that is now at pre-pandemic levels or higher. As cities open up Uber opens up as well. We actually think that we can be a beneficiary of certain trends that we’re seeing.

    We have invested in safety such as digital mask verification. We also have the No Mask No Rides advertising campaigns. People are feeling safer using Uber. Our reliability and predictability are absolutely unrivaled. While we look at share and we always want to make sure that we are competitive really what we focus on is the reliability of the service and safety of our drivers and hopefully coming back as the health situation improves.

    Vaccine Could Radically Improve Bookings

    There is a pretty consistent improvement in the mobility business as you go month to month to month. This is one of the benefits of having a truly global business. Within that steady improvement, there are all sorts of ups and downs. Hong Kong has had some openings and closings. Obviously, Europe is now going through another shutdown. US case counts are moving up. The individual curves are not smooth. But when you look at our global portfolio it smooths out.

    We are seeing a month to month improvement. For example, if you look at our last quarter overall gross bookings were down 50%. In September, the last month of the quarter, they were down only 44%. You just see this kind of consistent improvement. We think that the consistent improvement will continue into next year. We think a vaccine could radically improve the slope of that improvement.

    Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi Says ‘Eats’ Growing At Unprecedented Rate
  • Uber Eats To Essentially Power World Commerce, Says CEO

    Uber Eats To Essentially Power World Commerce, Says CEO

    If there was a time to lean into delivery, this is the time. We’re going to be the global leader in that business. We’re going to expand beyond food into other categories such as groceries and pharmacy, essentially powering world commerce.

    Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi discusses how Uber Eats is going to ‘essentially power world commerce’ in a Zoom call with the Wall Street Journal:

    If there was a time to lean into delivery, this is the time,” We’re going to be the global leader in that business. We’re going to expand beyond food into other categories such as groceries and pharmacy, essentially powering world commerce.

    The food delivery business is profitable in certain countries. For example, two of our top five international markets are profitable today and were profitable last quarter. The profitability really depends on how hard we are leaning in toward expanding supply and acquiring customers. The perspective that we have on this business is that even though it’s growing it’s actually very early in its development.

    For example, Japan is a huge market potential for us and one of our leading growth markets. Less than ten percent of restaurants in Japan are signed up to use Uber Eats as a delivery service. When you have a situation where your penetration is ten percent of the ultimate market size you lean in as a company.

    We are fortunate in that we’ve got very strong balance sheets, over $7 billion in cash and available capital. That allows us to lean into certain businesses. If there was a time to lean into delivery, this is the time. We’re going to be the global leader in that business. We’re going to expand beyond food into other categories such as groceries and pharmacy, essentially powering world commerce.

  • Tilman Fertitta: New York Restaurants Are Not Going To Last

    Tilman Fertitta: New York Restaurants Are Not Going To Last

    Landry’s CEO Tilman Fertitta said on CNBC that at only 25% maximum capacity New York restaurants are going to go out of business:

    New York Restaurants Are Not Going To Last

    Restaurants are not going to last at these kinds of numbers. Anybody who has a restaurant in New York that is full-service casual dining at 25% is going to go out of business. It’s really a shame. People have taken years and years and years to build these restaurants up. I have a huge company with restaurants in 40 states. I have casinos that are doing well. But if you are a New York restaurateur you’re in for a long haul right now.

    I will say it again. I don’t think that the government officials realize it because they get their paycheck every single week. They don’t realize that these cooks, these waiters, these hostesses, and then the managers at these restaurants, and how difficult it is when you are not getting a paycheck every week. And you don’t get that $600 kick from the government anymore. So you are going to see unemployment stay probably where it is until we get through the winter months and we start to improve things hopefully or the vaccine comes out.

    Don’t Punish Me Just Because I’m Big

    My whole problem has been I definitely want to take care of the small mom and pop businesses. I think we should also take care of the airlines. But you can’t leave people out like me. I’m a 100% owned family business. Don’t punish me just because I’m big and I provide 60,000 jobs out there. I can’t make a 60,000 payroll if they shut us down again. I don’t want to have to lay my employees off again. There has got to be something that treats everybody. Forget about the ownership.

    Why should an employee (not get helped out) because you work for a billionaire and you don’t? Or, a person that isn’t the front person of the company. I know people that have billionaires that really own restaurants and the chef only owns a small percentage but they were all able to take PPP money because they are not at the forefront like I am. I just want to see everybody treated the same. The government definitely needs to come in and help everyone but it should be for all employees of all businesses, especially restaurants and retail. Don’t look at ownership. Make the money go to the employees. Don’t worry about me.

  • Slice CEO Leading Digital Transformation Of Pizzerias

    Slice CEO Leading Digital Transformation Of Pizzerias

    “We want to make sure that 70 to 80 percent of the volume for pizzerias is digital., says Slice CEO Ilir Sela. “This is very comparable to Domino’s and Papa John’s and other big chains. We’ve got to lead the digital transformation of these small businesses. We bring technology and marketing and we enable the existing operation of the pizzeria. We make them more efficient and we make these Pizzerias really powerful and valuable.”

    Ilir Sela, CEO of Slice, discusses how the Slice app is driving the digital transformation of small pizzerias so that they can compete effectively with the national pizza chains:

    Leading Digital Transformation Of Pizzerias

    We take a merchant friendly approach because we really believe in the power of small business and the American dream. I am third generation in the pizza industry. My family consists of a ton of entrepreneurs who mostly opened up small business pizzerias. The goal for us was to make sure that as digital becomes an important component of their business that it doesn’t cannibalize the physical location.

    So we take a digital-first approach in a way that means we want to make sure that 70 to 80 percent of the volume for these pizzerias is digital. This is very comparable to Domino’s and Papa John’s and other big chains. In order to do that you have to take a long-term view and you’ve got to take a merchant friendly view around loyalty and online ordering. Obviously, in order to do that we’ve got to run the playbook. We’ve got to lead the digital transformation of these small businesses.

    All Pizzerias Need To Digitize Their Platforms

    We are actually an all-in-one platform where we partner with a small business in order to digitize their operation. We are not a logistics company ourselves. We empower small businesses to have what we call first-party delivery. In a way, that’s been done forever. Small business pizzerias have delivered across the entire country for decades and they’ve made it work incredibly well.

    The reality is that in the world of COVID and as we go further into the 2020s, all these pizzerias really need to digitize their platforms in order to become more efficient. What we do is we bring technology and marketing and we enable the existing operation of the pizzeria. We make it more efficient and we make it really powerful and valuable.

    Slice CEO Ilir Sela Leading Digital Transformation Of Pizzerias
  • OpenTable CEO: One In Four Restaurants Closing Is Conservative

    OpenTable CEO: One In Four Restaurants Closing Is Conservative

    “We expect around one in four restaurants to close and to not be able to return because of COVID,” says OpenTable CEO Debby Soo. “Unfortunately, now we think that number might even be conservative. Restaurants are going through a grueling time right now. We don’t know when it is going to come back to pre-COVID levels but it is likely to be after there is a vaccine available for people to take.”

    Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, discusses the ramifications of COVID and the related government mandates and restrictions on the restaurant industry:

    One In Four Restaurants Closing Now Appears To Be Conservative

    We expect around one in four restaurants to close and to not be able to return because of COVID (related mandates). Unfortunately, now we think that number might even be conservative. Restaurants are going through a grueling time right now. They are having to pay for their wait staff and rent is a huge cost. For restaurants to open back up any type of government aid that can be given to them would be amazing and is necessary. But also again, people have to feel comfortable being in an enclosed area and feeling safe to be around other people. With a lot of the restaurants space is a constraint. 

    We are thinking (about what’s going to happen in the winter when people will want to go into restaurants). It’s very much top of mind for restaurants who are right now experiencing a great surge in demand because it’s summer and dining out is so popular and prevalent. I imagine that takeout and delivery will continue to gain share, especially in the colder months. People now are much more willing to order food and get it delivered or to go and pick it up. That will be one of the main lifelines for restaurants during the colder months.

    Vaccine Needed For Dining To Come All The Way Back

    For dining to return all the way back to pre-COVID levels, a vaccine will be needed. However, we do see dining demand starting to pop up. We recently ran a survey at OpenTable and 25 percent of our respondents said they were dining out at least once a week. That demand is definitely there. Of course, safety precautions are very top of mind for both our restaurants and diners. They want to make sure that the restaurants are keeping both their employees and patrons safe with mask-wearing, table spacing, and all of that. 

    We don’t know when it is going to come back to pre-COVID levels but it is likely to be after there is a vaccine available for people to take. However, we are seeing signs of life and we know that diner demand is there. People are itching to get out and eat.

    Launched Myriad Of Features In Response To COVID

    We’ve recently launched a myriad of different features to adapt to the quickly changing environment around us. We launched Takeout which for diners is a really convenient way to browse a restaurant’s menu, order a meal, and pay all from your OpenTable app. For restaurants, it’s great because it is an additional revenue stream. We also released a new feature we call Safety Precautions. When you come to OpenTable for each restaurant that you are looking at going to you can see a list of all the specific safety and health initiatives that restaurants are following to keep their diners and staff safe. 

    We also recently launched Experiences. This can be anything from a happy hour to a prix fixe menu or a chef’s table. We are seeing a lot of demand for this, even now when people are still not completely comfortable going out to eat. There is this hunger and need for special occasions and these types of experiences.

    OpenTable CEO Debby Soo: One In Four Restaurants Closing Is Conservative
  • Landry’s CEO: Not Letting Restaurants Open Fully Is a ‘Taking By The State’

    Landry’s CEO: Not Letting Restaurants Open Fully Is a ‘Taking By The State’

    “Until we fix this occupancy problem, even though you are open, it is not possible to pay full rent,” says Landry CEO and reality TV host Tilman Fertitta. “How do you pay a mortgage when you only operating at 25 percent or 50 percent? To all of you judges out there, this is a taking by the state and the government when you take 50 percent of my occupancy.” 

    Tilman Fertitta, Landry’s chairman, and CEO talks about his frustration with the incompetence of the State of New York and the City of New York in dealing with restaurant reopenings:

    It’s Unbelievable That New York Won’t Give Us A Metric To Reopen

    We love to complain about leadership on a national level and on some state levels but nobody knows what to do. Everybody wants to blame DC right now but we are sitting here in New York and they can’t even give us the metics and say if the pandemic only has this much hospitalization or cases for a 14-day rolling average. Then you can plan on opening your restaurants at 25 or 50 percent. We get absolutely no information at all out of the State of New York and the City of New York. The City of New York is unbelievable that they will not give us a metric when they can open these restaurants.

    Just think about it. Everything is a metric and everything is data points. We all want to blame everybody else for the data points and not making decisions. Wouldn’t you look at four or five key data points and say as soon as we hit these data points you are going to open? What is so difficult about that? We hear about the great leadership of New York and up east in New Jersey while we are treating the rest of the country like they’re from other countries that they are quarantining us and they can’t even go visit up there. It’s ridiculous right now. Yet they won’t even give us business and data points to operate. In New Jersey, you still can’t have a drink of water in the casino unless you are dehydrating and you are about to pass out. It’s extremely comical to me.

    Lack Of Unions In Regional Casinos Enabling Them To Thrive

    All the regional casinos are doing extremely well, take out New Jersey of course. I hate to say this but the reason the regional casinos are doing so much EBITA right now is that number one, people are moving around, they don’t have to fly in, and you don’t have the union wages in the regional casinos. They are also not opening their buffets and all their full service restaurants. You are really able to watch your costs in a regional casino that you can’t in Vegas or in New Jersey where you have the high union wages. It’s tremendously helping us all. 

    But we are doing 100 percent of the same gaming revenue in the regional casinos where in Vegas you are doing below 50 percent and in Atlantic City, you are doing about 40 percent. Regional is where you want to be right now.

    Not Letting Restaurants Open Fully Is a ‘Taking By The State”

    The State of Missouri is one of the few states that lets us open 100 percent of the occupancy of our restaurants as long as we keep six-foot distancing, which we 100 percent do and abide by. They’re for it because you are able to open the establishment and can seat your seats and still be careful. That’s why you are running the best same-store sales comps in that particular market right now. 

    Until we fix this occupancy problem, even though you are open, how do you pay full rent? How do you pay a mortgage when you only operating at 25 percent or 50 percent? To all of you judges out there, this is a taking by the state and the government when you take 50 percent of my occupancy. 

    Disney Is Not Even Hitting 20% Occupancy Target Right Now

    We are down 70 percent in Orlando and we have some of the biggest stores at Disney. They are coming out now and saying it. The traffic is just not there. I give Disney a lot of credit for going out and putting great protocols to protect their guests. They were only going to let 20 percent of the park’s occupancy come in. I don’t think they are even doing 20 percent.

    This is a problem all over America right now that you can’t even do the business. I’m not speaking for Disney but I know my restaurants aren’t doing 20 percent down there right now. We usually do a lot more than the parks do when it comes to percentages.

    Landry’s CEO Tilman Fertitta: Not Letting Restaurants Open Fully Is a ‘Taking By The State’
  • Elected Officials Are Not Worried About The Little People, Says Landry’s CEO

    Elected Officials Are Not Worried About The Little People, Says Landry’s CEO

    Billionaire restaurant entrepreneur and Landry’s CEO Tilman Fertitta has had it with governors and mayors and their inconsistent “yo-yo” shutdown orders on his restaurants and the economy. He notes that despite news reports, hospitals are not even close to being overrun. “We’re not about to run out of hospital beds where we’re going to have people laying on the curve of the hospital.” 

    Fertitta is exasperated at the apparent lack of compassion that governors and mayors around the country have for the “poor working people of America” right now. “You cannot shut down the economy,” says Fertitta. “You cannot do this to employees. They did it to us again yesterday in California where they shut us down. There is no consideration at all for the poor working people of America right now the way they’re doing the yo-yo.”

    Fertitta adds: “The problem is I’ve yet to see an elected official miss a paycheck. Until an elected official misses a paycheck and feels some pain this is going to continue to happen.”

    Tilman Fertitta, CEO of Landry’s, and author of the book, “Shut Up and Listen!: Hard Business Truths that Will Help You Succeeddiscusses how incompetent and disconnected urban governors and mayors have been in their response to COVID and their yo-yo shutdowns and how little they seem to care about poor working people in America:

    We Are Not About To Run Out Of Hospital Beds

    We went through this shutdown a couple of weeks ago and the people were back out this weekend. But remember, restaurants can only operate at 50 percent capacity. There are no bars or clubs and everybody’s being careful and everybody’s wearing face masks. We kind of leveled off at around negative 50 right now. But it’s tough out there. 

    We hear all these stories about the hospitals in Texas. Let me just give you Texas Medical Center in Houston which is one of the largest in the world. I think it is the largest. They’re in phase two at nine percent (capacity). This is phase two out of three phases. We’re not about to run out of hospital beds where we’re going to have people laying on the curve of the hospital. You got to remember there are 350 million people, only one percent or 340,000 people have had it. That’s less than one percent. This has got to work itself through the community and we’ve got to protect the people that can get it. 

    Elected Officials Are Not Worried About The Little People 

    At the same, you cannot shut down the economy. You cannot do this to employees. They did it to us again yesterday in California where they shut us down. There is no consideration at all for the poor working people of America right now the way they’re doing the yo-yo. The problem is I’ve yet to see an elected official miss a paycheck. Until an elected official misses a paycheck and feels some pain this is going to continue to happen. 

    They’re not worried about all the little people out there that are such hardworking people that make America thrive. They get their paychecks. Get them to give up 50 percent of their paychecks and feel some pain and then they’ll make better decisions for all the working people out there.

    We Cannot Continue To Have The Rules Change On Us

    The problem is that we’ve got mayors, governors, city, and county judges trying to make decisions. I think it is time for the government to come in and if it’s signing the War Act or whatever and doing something across the board. Remember, how you can be fair is you use percentages. If your county or city or state has this percentage of cases these are the rules you follow. This is what has to be shut down. I do think it should be federally mandated to treat everybody the same. 

    We cannot continue to have governors and mayors change the rules on us every other week. That is what’s happening right now. It’s totally unfair. Less than one percent of America has gotten COVID and it’s not going away. If you think your kids are going back to school and if you think all these sports are going to be played in a normal season, it’s not going to happen. Somebody’s got to take control of this situation and mandate what we all do.

    You Cannot Keep Your Employees At Work Down 54 Percent

    Vegas is struggling because you’re not getting all the flights in. Vegas is so built on the convention business and so vegas is struggling. In Atlantic City, there’s nothing open in the restaurant. You can’t take a drink of water and take your mask off unless it’s a health issue where you’re dehydrated and about to pass out. But Lake Charles, Laughlin, Biloxi, all your regional casinos around the country, are doing okay. They really are. But Vegas is struggling and Atlantic City is struggling.

    Let’s get into the restaurants. Your higher-end restaurants are doing better right now because you’re in July. Your waterfront restaurants are doing okay. But remember, you get back into your urban areas, New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and there is nobody there. Most of them are just shut down or barely doing delivery to go. Overall, when you look at all my 600 restaurants in the month of July, I’m down 54 percent. You cannot operate at negative 54 percent. You cannot keep your employees at work at 54 percent.

    Elected Officials Are Not Worried About The Little People, Says Landry’s CEO Tilman Fertitta
  • Grubhub Rolls Out $30 Million Stimulus To Restaurants

    Grubhub Rolls Out $30 Million Stimulus To Restaurants

    “A $250 payment per restaurant (from Grubhub) doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s going to be a huge difference,” says Grubhub CEO Matt Maloney. “We’re looking at it as a stimulus almost because the way we’re rolling it out is a consumer gets $10 if they spend $30. So our $30 million dollars is going to transform into over $100 million dollars of food sales to restaurants across the country.”

    Matt Maloney, CEO of Grubhub, announces a $30 million stimulus to restaurants in a discussion on CNBC:

    Grubhub Rolls Out $30 Million Stimulus To Restaurants 

    A $250 payment per restaurant (from Grubhub) doesn’t sound like a lot but it’s going to be a huge difference. We’re looking at it as a stimulus almost because the way we’re rolling it out is a consumer gets $10 if they spend $30. So our $30 million dollars is going to transform into over $100 million dollars of food sales to restaurants across the country. That’s a big slug when everyone’s working really hard to try to put money in the hands of small businesses.

    It depends on the market (in terms of how many restaurants are still open). In early COVID West Coast markets, we saw a dramatic dip in restaurants that went off the platform. Now they’re starting to come back on. You have New York and Detroit that are in the throes of the crisis right now and so you’re they’re peaking with about 30 percent of the restaurants off. But remember, we’re having thousands and thousands of restaurants coming on the platform for the first time so we’re seeing about the same number in terms of net. It’s just a transition.

    Grubhub Triples Highest Restaurant Onboarding Month Ever

    Our teams are working around the clock. We tripled our most onboarding month ever of restaurants. We had 15,000 restaurants go live in March. We’re probably going to do more in April. It’s just an incredible intensity of need right now for restaurants. We’re doing everything we can to help them. With drivers, we launched contact-free pickup or drop-off. We also just launched, just last week, curbside pickup for the drivers to make sure there are two layers of protection.

    There’s plenty of work on Grub and I know there’s lots of work on other delivery platforms as well. We have our own stimulus for our drivers too. If they get impacted directly by COVID we’re paying them. I know other platforms are also. And, of course, the CARES Act just came through with a lot of relief for gig workers also. Everyone right now is all hands on deck trying to help the restaurants, the drivers, and everyone impacted through this economic and health care crisis. 

    Fundamental Economics Are Still Intact

    I am hoping for the best. I think that the fundamental economics of our society is still intact. There is a lot of demand right now for restaurants. If we can help restaurants get through the next few weeks or months, depending on how bad this is, they will come back, they will be there for our communities. If they can’t, then that’s going to be a real problem.

    What we’re seeing right now is as the crisis bottoms out in the market growth does start to come back in that local area. We’re seeing the crises (at different levels) around the country in different markets at different times so we’re trying to dynamically manage that situation on the ground.

    Grubhub Rolls Out $30 Million Stimulus To Restaurants, Says Grubhub CEO Matt Maloney

  • TripAdvisor Acquires SinglePlatform to Help Restaurants Enhance Experience

    TripAdvisor Acquires SinglePlatform to Help Restaurants Enhance Experience

    TripAdvisor has announced the acquisition of SinglePlatform from its parent company, Endurance International Group.

    SinglePlatform works with restaurants to help them publish and manage their menus online, as well as other pertinent information, such as their hours of operation and contact information. The service has become increasingly important to restaurants, given that “93 percent of diners check menus online before choosing a place to eat.”

    “We are obsessed with making restaurateurs’ jobs easier and more successful, and our acquisition of SinglePlatform is an important step in offering them a place to conveniently manage their entire online presence across the web from TripAdvisor,” said Bertrand Jelensperger, senior vice president, TripAdvisor Restaurants. “We look forward to bringing SinglePlatform’s technology and know-how to a truly global audience to help millions of restaurant owners and managers unlock more digital opportunities.”

    “We could not be more excited to join forces with TripAdvisor,” said Josh Glantz, senior vice president and general manager, SinglePlatform. “SinglePlatform’s strength in the United States combined with TripAdvisor’s global reach and advertising platform for restaurants perfectly positions our combined team to offer more solutions for owner-operators and multi-location brands everywhere to reach consumers at the moment they are looking for dining options.”

    The combination of TripAdvisor and SinglePlatform is a logical one, as TripAdvisor is one of the platforms SinglePlatform publishes information to. Meanwhile, TripAdvisor has been working to expand its services and value to the restaurant industry and the new acquisition will help it make significant strides in that direction.

  • Virtual Restaurants Helping Power Uber Eats Growth

    Virtual Restaurants Helping Power Uber Eats Growth

    “Virtual restaurants is a very interesting initiative,” says Uber Eats EMEA head Rodrigo Arevalo. “Basically by leveraging the data on our platform, we can partner with other restaurants in order to cuisine types that only exist on food delivery platforms. If there is not a restaurant in a certain neighborhood we will partner with restaurants to make that happen. In the UK we are already doing 200 virtual restaurants and we are expanding throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.”

    Rodrigo Arevalo, head of EMEA at Uber Eats, discusses how virtual restaurants are helping power Uber Eats Growth in an interview on Bloomberg:

    Virtual Restaurants Helping Power Uber Eats Growth

    Virtual restaurants is a very interesting initiative. Basically, by leveraging the data on our platform we can partner with other restaurants in order to cuisine types that only exist on food delivery platforms. That has two benefits. The first one is that it helps restaurants utilize their kitchens a lot more. The second one is that it increases their revenue on their top line. It’s a very interesting initiative to provide more choice and to increase business for restaurants. 

    If there is not a restaurant in a certain neighborhood we will partner with restaurants to make that happen. In the UK we are already doing 200 virtual restaurants and we are expanding throughout Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. It’s a type of local exercise that we are trying to tack on. It’s going really well and we’re excited about that.

    Uber East Demonstrates the Potential of Uber’s Logistics Platform

    Uber Eats fits into Uber’s overall strategy and portfolio in the way that it demonstrates the potential of Uber’s logistics platform. Just in three and a half years, we’ve been able to build a multi-billion dollar business and today we are already the biggest food delivery app outside of China. It’s all about the logistics network that we have built and how we can leverage the potential of that platform. 

    It’s about focus for us. We want to make sure that we deliver on the plan, deliver on the vision that (Uber CEO) Dara Khosrowshahi has set for the company. Focus is basically three pillars for Uber Eats. The first one is restaurant selection, providing consumers choice. The second one is customer experience for eaters, for restaurants, and for delivery partners. The third one is underpinning that with great technology and a great product that people would love to use every single day. 

    Uber Eats Partners With 220,000 Restaurants Globally

    We partner today with 220,000 restaurants globally and there is a vast variety of selection from every kind of meal that you would like; comfort food to the healthiest options such as vegan, salads, etc. We believe selection. We believe in consumer choice. We want to make sure that we provide all of those options to them. We very much focus on providing that information, providing those options, and making sure that consumers make an informed choice.

    When it comes to packaging we already partner with several companies that provide sustainable packaging. Given our platform, particularly in the UK, we already look for ways to facilitate sustainable packaging for restaurant partners, making sure we do our part in that sense.

    Virtual Restaurants Helping Power Uber Eats Growth – Uber Eats EMEA head Rodrigo Arevalo
  • The Response To Our Impossible Sliders Has Been Overwhelming, Says White Castle VP

    The Response To Our Impossible Sliders Has Been Overwhelming, Says White Castle VP

    “The response from customers (to our Impossible Slider) has been overwhelming,” says Jamie Richardson, Vice President at White Castle. “And with our 10,000 team members, the response has been overwhelming. We know we have got a winner. In working with Impossible, they’ve really put the study into this and have done it in a thoughtful way and have come up with something that tastes great. You put that in that White Castle original bun with one perfect pickle and you’ve got a winner.”

    Jamie Richardson, Vice President at White Castle, discusses the phenomenal success of the Impossible Slider, their vegan alternative to the original Slider, in an interview on CNBC:

    The Response To Our Impossible Sliders Has Been Overwhelming

    We are a family owned business that’s been around for almost a hundred years. We don’t make short term decisions. We look at things over the long haul, working together, and solving our customers’ problems. The response from customers has been overwhelming. And with our 10,000 team members, the response has been overwhelming. We know we have got a winner. We’re excited about what comes next in our friendship.

    It’s really interesting. One of the big things we are seeing, especially with our younger customers, our GenZ customers, and our Millennial customers, a lot these individuals have gone with a plant-based diet. So if you are in a car with three or four people you can be that veto vote. What we found is we’re getting more and more of those visits and that’s important to us. Oh, and by the way, here among friends, we don’t use the term “fake meat” because to us it’s a plant-based protein and that’s what makes it awesome.

    The Impossible Slider at White Castle

    Our Customers Tell Us They Love the Taste

    I don’t know what they (Tyson Foods and Perdue) are going to be able to accomplish (with alternative meats). But here’s what we do know. In working with Impossible, they’ve really put the study into this and have done it in a thoughtful way and have come up with something that tastes great. I think that the taste quotient is so important in terms of success in the marketplace. There are no tradeoffs. For our customers what they tell us is they love the taste. You put that in that White Castle original bun with one perfect pickle and you’ve got a winner.

    Customers are absolutely aware of the Impossible Slider (by brand name). That’s been the partnership that’s been able to brand it that way. It’s something we’ve known since 1921, the home of the original slider, in offering the first Impossible Slider. Absolutely, we’ve benefitted from a lot of good news coverage and people becoming more aware. A lot of people want to sample and try it. We serve omnivores. We have people who come in an order a double cheeseburger with extra bacon and have an Impossible to go along with it as well. It’s got a lot of broad appeal because candidly, the taste is what separates it from the rest of the pack.

    The Response To Our Impossible Sliders Has Been Overwhelming, Says White Castle VP Jamie Richardson
  • Amazon Prime Now Adds Local Restaurant Delivery In Los Angeles

    Amazon Prime Now Adds Local Restaurant Delivery In Los Angeles

    Amazon announced two months ago that it added the ability to have food delivered from local restaurants to its Prime Now service in Seattle. Now, the company has announced the same availability for customers in Los Angeles.

    Prime Now customers can get food delivered from Umami Burger, Baby Blues BBQ, Wokcano, Hurry Curry of Tokyo, Feast from the East, John O’Groats Restaurant, and “many” more in the L.A. area.

    This is in addition to tens of thousands of items from local stores like Sprouts Farmers Market, Bristol Farms, Sprinkles Cupcakes, Erewhon Organic Grocer and 99 Ranch Market.

    “Los Angeles is known for great local restaurants with cuisines from around world,” said Gus Lopez, general manager, Amazon Restaurants. “We’re excited to offer Amazon Prime customers in Los Angeles a fast and convenient way to enjoy some of the city’s best restaurants without having to stand in line or brave the traffic.”

    “Restaurant delivery on Prime Now makes it possible to enjoy Umami Burger even if you don’t have time to swing by and pick it up yourself,” said Meghan Dwyer, Umami Burger. “With just a few taps of the phone and the Prime Now app, customers can order their favorite menu items, like our original Umami burger and truffle fries, and have it delivered right to their door in less than an hour.”

    “Whether you’re craving our Smokin’ Wings, Baby Back Ribs or Brisket, you can now place an order directly through the Prime Now app and have our unique, made-from-scratch experience delivered in less than an hour,” said Liz Gulash, Baby Blues BBQ. “We are excited to offer new and existing customers yet another convenient way to enjoy Baby Blues BBQ.”

    Prime Now members can use the Prime Now app to view menus, place orders, and track delivery status. Food is delivered in an hour or less.

    The service is immediately available in select Los Angeles zip codes and will expand to more in the coming days. You’ll know if you’re eligible if you enter your zip code into the app.

    Image via Amazon

  • Groupon To Go Is Exactly What It Sounds Like And It Just Launched

    Groupon To Go Is Exactly What It Sounds Like And It Just Launched

    Groupon announced on Thursday it’s launching Groupon To Go, a nationwide delivery and takeout service the company says saves customers up to 10 percent on “every order”.

    The offering will first roll out in Groupon’s hometown of Chicago, and will expand to other major markets throughout the year. Austin and Boston are next up, slated for launch this fall.

    “Delivery and takeout is a natural extension of our local deals marketplace, adding hundreds of the best restaurants to Groupon––including many that haven’t offered online ordering until now,” a spokesperson for Groupon tells WebProNews. “Plus, food and beverage is already one of our most popular categories, and we’ve worked with tens of thousands of restaurants across the United States. Included in the launch of Groupon To Go are a number of national favorites, including Quiznos, Popeyes, Subway and Papa John’s.”

    Groupon to Go web interface

    Also included in the Chicago roll-out are local restaurants Ditka’s Restaurant, Al’s Beef, Adobo Grill, BIG & little’s, Freshii, Rosati’s Pizza, Star of Siam and Wishbone.

    “As an estimated $70 billion sector, the potential in delivery and takeout is apparent — especially with the growth of mobile — and Groupon’s engaged customer and merchant base, coupled with OrderUp’s technology and operations platform, brings tremendous scale to the space,” the spokesperson says.

    Eventually, Groupon to Go will include order tracking, group ordering, and the ability to schedule delivery and takeout for another date and time. It will also one day offer delivery fulfillment services for participating restaurants, utilizing the technology and platform from recently acquired OrderUp. Groupon announced that acquisition just two weeks ago.

    Restaurants who wish to participate in Groupon to Go can apply to do so here.

    Images via Groupon

  • Little Caesars Pretzel Pizza Is Back (And This Time It Has Company)

    Little Caesars Pretzel Pizza Is Back (And This Time It Has Company)

    Earlier this year, we reported that Little Caesars would bring back its popular pretzel crust pizza this summer after being tipped by a source within the company. The pizza chain has now confirmed our scoop.

    The company announced that not only is the pizza back from June 29 to August 30, but it is accompanied by a new spinoff – Cheese-n-Pretzel Dipppers. From the announcement:

    When first introduced last fall, the Soft Pretzel Crust Pepperoni Pizza was scheduled to be available from September 1 – October 26, 2014, but was extended twice through the end of February due to demand. After Little Caesars removed the pretzel pizza from its menu in February, it was inundated on social media and with phone calls, emails, and even online petitions by pretzel-loving customers.

    “The Soft Pretzel Crust Pepperoni Pizza has an enthusiastic fan base,” said Ed Gleich, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing for Little Caesars. “We’re grateful for the response, which most definitely contributed to our decision to bring back the pizza and introduce the new CHEESE-N-PRETZEL DIPPERS nationwide.”

    The dippers are described as ” 16 savory pieces of buttery, salty, toasted, soft pretzel bites served with a side of warm, creamy cheddar cheese dip.”

    The dippers will run you $3.49. Unfortunately for consumers, the pizza’s price has been raised by a dollar to $7. It’s till not a bad deal for a large pizza (and one that far exceeds the quality of the chain’s popular $5 Hot-N-Ready in this writer’s opinion), but it does slightly hit a major appeal factor – the pizza’s affordability. Either way, it’s still less than the $8 deep dish.

    The official end date for the pretzel-crust pizza is August 30, but as we saw before, the company has been willing to extend dates in the past if the demand is there.

    Image via Little Caesars

  • Facebook Puts Critic Content On Restaurant Pages

    Facebook Puts Critic Content On Restaurant Pages

    It appears that Facebook is taking another step in offering an alternative to Yelp and similar services. The company has reportedly partnered with a number of content providers to show reviews from food critics on restaurants’ Facebook Pages.

    The feature is being tested according to multiple reports.

    According to the report above, Facebook has partnered with Bon Appetit, Conde Nast Traveler, Eater, New York Magazine, and the San Francisco Chronicle. so far. It shares a comment from Facebook:

    “Since reviews are such an important part of helping people make informed decisions about what to do locally, we’re excited to be incorporating a new way for people to use Facebook to find the best real-world experiences,” a Facebook spokeswoman told us in an email. “Thousands” of restaurants are included in the pilot, she said.

    While it doesn’t discuss extending this beyond restaurants, one can imagine that similar content could one day appear for different types of businesses. It would also be interesting if Facebook did with with movies. I bet the studios would love to see quotes like this one appear on their movies’ pages:

    Rarely has a remake felt more contractually obligated than the 2015 version of Poltergeist. – Brian Tallerico·Roger Ebert

    While Facebook Pages for restaurants already display reviews from people who have visited, the new feature adds another layer of authority to the content that is displayed, provided you’re one that puts a lot of stock into what critics think. The fact that negative reviews are as likely to show as positive ones could present restaurants (and potentially other businesses) with a new source of frustration on Facebook.

  • Yelp Shares Findings On Consumer Reservations

    Yelp Shares Findings On Consumer Reservations

    Yelp is sharing some findings from a national survey it commissioned from Nielsen to “get intel on how consumers across the country are making reservations.”

    This comes as the company is rolling out Yelp Now, a recently announced search tool for reservations and ordering. The feature enables users to filter search results to show businesses with available reservations based on date, time, party size, and the type of food they want or restaurants that deliver.

    Yelp Now will eventually expand to include businesses beyond restaurants including spas, hotels, plumbers, and dentists.

    The roll-out began earlier this month in select U.S. cities on desktop and iOS. It allows users to reserve tables at restaurants that use Yelp SeatMe and Yelp Reservations. For delivery, users can access those using Yelp’s Eat24, ChowNow, Delivery.com, or EatStreet.

    “Our goal is to make Yelp the best place for consumers to discover and transact with great local businesses, and to help business owners connect with the millions of people who use Yelp every day,” says Yelp’s Brad Menezes. “Whether you’re the couch potato ordering food at midnight or the die-hard foodie planning a dinner at the hottest new restaurant, we’ve got you covered!”

    Here are some findings from the Nielsen study:

  • Nearly 4 in 10 (39%) Americans researched or checked reviews of a restaurant before their last dining experience
  • Nearly a third of Americans (28%) researched or checked reviews of a restaurant before they placed an order for takeout or delivery
    15% of Americans made a reservation last time they dined out. In Atlanta and DC, men made reservations three times more often than women.
  • Of people who made a reservation last time they dined out…

    – 42% did so online or using an app

    – More men than women went online or used an app to make that reservation (47% vs. 37%)

    – 75% of people who made a reservation last time they dined out did so within 2 days of their dining experience.

    – More men than women made a same day reservation (46% vs. 33%)

  • Yelp also provided some New York-specific stats. 18% of New Yorkers made a reservation last time they dined out.

    The company says, “In the NYC Metro, more women than men made a reservation last time they dined out (20% vs. 16%) Of those in the NYC Metro who made a reservation last time they dined out: 41% did so online or using an app; More women than men made the reservation online or using an app (42% vs. 40%); 46% did so the same day as their dining experience; 100% of men did so within 2 days of their dining experience vs. 62% of women.”

    Yelp will announce its Q1 earnings on Wednesday, and will likely discuss Yelp Now and its reservations business further in the ensuing conference call.

    Images via Yelp

  • Google Wallet Expanding As Checkout Option

    Google Wallet Expanding As Checkout Option

    Google Wallet is growing as a payment option as it has now been adopted by both Dunkin’ Donuts and Seamless, which have integrated it into their checkout experiences for Android users.

    “People are ordering food and drinks through their smartphones more and more, everyday,” says Hana Chang, Head of Commerce Platforms at Google. “But having to type all your credit card information through that tiny keyboard can be a hassle. So we’ve joined forces with many of your favorite food and beverage brands to add Google Wallet at checkout, allowing you to place orders in as few as two clicks.”

    “Dunkin’ Donuts now brings its guests a faster way to purchase and recharge their mobile Dunkin’ Donuts Cards in the Dunkin’ Donuts Mobile App on Android,” says Chang. “By simply selecting Google Wallet at checkout, Dunkin’ Donuts guests can recharge their cards with a couple of clicks—no need to type in credit card information anymore. And hungry Seamless customers will start to see the Google Wallet payment option available in their Android app, helping them get their grub – a delicious array of 80+ cuisine types – in a snap.”

    “Google Wallet offers our guests with Android devices another quick and convenient way to load or reload a Dunkin’ Donuts Card within the Dunkin’ Mobile App, to purchase favorite Dunkin’ Donuts food and beverages quickly and get back into their busy day,” said Scott Hudler, Vice President, Global Consumer Engagement at Dunkin’ Brands. “Developing and delivering technologies to enhance guests’ experience, including the Dunkin’ Mobile App, DD Perks rewards program, and eventually mobile ordering, will continue to differentiate our brand as we continue our growth throughout the country.”

    Others using Google Wallet include Papa John’s, Domino’s, Eat24, Panda Express, and Jason’s Deli. Papa John’s implemented it back in November.

    “In today’s digital economy, consumers are increasingly turning to their smart phones for online purchases, highlighting the importance of convenience and payment security,” said CMO Bob Kraut. “Google Wallet was Papa John’s first venture into mobile payments, and now with more than 50 percent of our sales taking place on mobile or computer, the partnership provides our customers a better and more secure ordering experience.”

    Google has been partnering with platforms like Shopify, ChowNow, and Shopgate to get Google Wallet in use at more stores restaurants. ChowNow announced its partnership with Google earlier this week. It brings Google Wallet to thousands of independent restaurants in the U.S.

    “We continue to uphold our mission of helping independent restaurants compete with larger chains by providing them with technology that would be both difficult and cost-prohibitive for them to build themselves,” said ChowNow CEO Chris Webb.

    “The addition of Google Wallet benefits both restaurants and their customers,” the company added. “Rather than manually inputting their credit card number and billing address, customers with an Android phone can simply tap the “Buy with Google” button. As a result of the added convenience and reduced ordering times, restaurants should see increased order volumes, and hence a more profitable to-go business. With 70 million Android phones currently in use the addition of Google Wallet has broad appeal.”

    Google has a list of mobile apps and sites that accept Google Wallet as a payment option here. And don’t forget they offer the Google Wallet card, that lets you use your balance pretty much anywhere.

    Image via Google

  • Chef Refuses to Negotiate with Rude ‘Yelpers’, Instagram Shames Them Instead

    Chef Refuses to Negotiate with Rude ‘Yelpers’, Instagram Shames Them Instead

    Restauranteurs have a love/hate (mostly hate) relationship with Yelp, a service that has emboldened the entitled diner more than any in recent memory. Not only do chefs and business owners have to worry about customers leaving salty reviews, even if completely unjustified, but they also have to worry about whether or not those negative Yelp reviews will feature prominently on their business page. Yelp wouldn’t know anything about that.

    Let’s say you’re a chef-owner of a popular restaurant, and two customers come in and start treating you and your staff like shit. Then, they start threatening you with bad Yelp reviews, the final refuge of the entitled diner. What to do?

    You could, oh I dunno, snap their picture and shame them on social media.

    Michael Scelfo of Boston’s Alden & Harlow did just that.

    “Shout out to these two winners for seating themselves with no reservations, insulting and berating our staff, refusing to leave and all the while yelping away in front of us as a means of threat. #kbye #wedontnegotiatewithyelpers,” he wrote on Instagram alongside the photo. Instagram has since removed the photo, according to Scelfo, but screenshots were grabbed (via BostInno):

    He elaborated:

    We tried to have them leave, they refused. Taking their drink away and being forceful is not hospitable. So in lieu of calling the police (only other recourse imo) which seemed too strong a response, we opted to kill them with kindness until they left. We as a team endured a ton of abuse but ultimately chose the high road. My choice to post this is not to slander on them per say but to call attention to a major flaw in the current ‘online review system & entitled mentality.’ Ultimately, it’s about protecting the integrity of our (well documented) humble and gracious staff. Feel free to vilify me for posting, but I stand by my post.

    Scelfo later informed his followers that Instagram had removed the photo, but he stands by his post. He also suggested that there should be an Uber-like rating system for diners.

    “looks like @instagram pulled it. #wedontnegotiatewithyelpers stands true though, and I would encourage more people to be responsible with it. Uber allows for service providers to rate customers, we should move to that system. I will always stand by my staff, always,” he wrote.

    Alden & Harlow currently boasts a 4-star review on Yelp, with 323 reviews. The only recent negative review is from a woman who read about Scelfo’s actions and vehemently disapproves.

    “Calling out people (Women obviously, highly doubt he’d care as much if they were men with opinions) who came to SPEND MONEY at your restaurant because other people recommended it on Yelp…Then trashing ALL Yelp users altogether, (Even the ones who gave you such high marks) makes YOU look like the asshole.,” she write. “Just another entitled prick with a bank loan. AVOID this place if you are just finding it here. They do not want YOUR business.”

    You might not agree with his tactics, but you have to admit that it’s refreshing to see someone stand up against rude customers – if they really were as rude as he claims.

    And maybe that’s another lesson. Don’t get on the bad side of someone with a bigger megaphone than you.

    Image via mscelfo, Instagram

  • Little Caesars Pretzel Pizza To Be Back?

    Update: Someone claiming to work at Little Caesars said during a recent reddit AMA: “You didn’t hear it from me but I heard my RM say it’s coming back in July.”

    Update: An official spokesperson for Little Caesars gave us this statement: “Soft Pretzel Crust Pepperoni Pizza was originally available from September 1 – October 26, 2014. We extended that LTO twice, through last week due to demand. Pretzel pizza is leaving restaurants this month as supplies end to make room for other premium offerings we believe our customers will love, like the new Bacon Wrapped Crust DEEP!DEEP!™ Dish pizza, which makes its debut on Monday. While we do not have plans of offering Soft Pretzel Crust Pepperoni Pizza after this limited time offer, we would consider offering it again in the future if there is sufficient demand by our customers. We’re always listening to feedback from customers and our franchisees. So, we’ll see if Pretzel is worthy of a comeback.”

    Original Article: Little Caesars is capturing the hearts and minds of the Internet with its latest announcement that it is about to start offering a bacon-wrapped deep dish pizza.

    Back in September, the chain began offering its soft pretzel crust pizza, but has within the last couple of weeks put an end to that, no doubt disappointing plenty of fans of the pretzel crust/cheese sauce combination as well as fans of inexpensive pizza. One of the main selling points was that the large pie was only $6, just a dollar more than its famous “Hot-N-Ready”.

    Since the advent of the Little Caesars pretzel crust pizza, rival Pizza Hut has also begun offering a pretzel crust option.

    Little Caesars’ version has simply vanished with little explanation. If you Google “pretzel crust pizza” you’ll likely still see Little Caesars’ menu item appear at the top of the results, but if you click it, you won’t get a page showing the product. You’ll get something like this:

    The pizza might be gone for now, but a source from within Little Caesars says it will be back in the summer. We’ve reached out to the company’s official communications channel for confirmation, and will update accordingly.

    “The Soft Pretzel Crust Pepperoni Pizza is a great tasting example of everything we are about; offering our customers a totally unique pizza experience from the variety of pizza and sides we offer to instant ‘just stop in and pick-up’ availability,” said Edward Gleich, Senior Vice President of Global Marketing at Little Caesars when the pie was first introduced.

    First things first, I'm the roundest. #badpizzalyrics #pretzelpizza #littlecaesars

    A photo posted by Little Caesars (@littlecaesars) on

    Even in its latest announcement about the bacon pizza, Little Caesars pats itself on the back for being “the first national chain” to introduce a pretzel crust pizza to its menu nationwide.

    The pretzel pizza was originally announced as a limited-time offering that would last through October. Obviously it lasted a lot longer than that, so it must have been a hit to some extent. That bodes well for a potential return.

    The new bacon pizza will set you back twice as much money at $12.

    Image via Little Caesars