Grubhub, a prominent player in the food delivery industry, has introduced updates to its restaurant portal based on feedback from its partners and the insights shared by Grubhub’s Restaurant Leadership Council. A select group of partner restaurants within the council engaged in discussions with Grubhub’s Restaurant Success team, covering various topics, including the most effective features and products to help restaurants achieve their goals.
The latest additions to the portal, particularly the customer insights feature, have the potential to enhance Grubhub for Restaurants’ competitiveness against rivals such as Uber Eats and DoorDash, both of which already provide sales trends data to their users.
By utilizing the “Insight” tab on Grubhub for Restaurants, partner establishments can now access and filter sales and order metrics, distinguishing between new or returning diners and Grubhub+ or non-Grubhub+ members. The platform offers up to a year’s worth of aggregated data, empowering restaurants to make informed strategic decisions and adapt their marketing plans accordingly. Grubhub acknowledges that this initial version of the insights feature will be expanded based on feedback from its partners.
Additionally, Grubhub has introduced a self-serve refunds feature, enabling restaurants to conveniently request adjustments and dispute refunds directly through the platform. Previously, partners had to engage with Grubhub Care via phone or chat, a process that often consumed around 10 minutes. With the new self-serve refunds option, the entire process takes just one minute.
Restaurants can now dispute charges up to 30 days after the original order date by simply clicking on the specific order ID and selecting the “dispute adjustment” button, providing a reason for the dispute. A dedicated Grubhub agent will thoroughly investigate the matter and respond within 24 hours.
In response to partner feedback, Grubhub has also made updates to its self-serve photo shoot access feature. Restaurants now have the option to opt-out and decline the scheduling of a professional photo shoot for their menu items. If the “I’m not interested” option is chosen, the banner will reappear every 30 days after each opt-out and every 90 days after initially booking the shoot. Grubhub believes that this update will increase opportunities for operators to book a photo shoot, thereby assisting them in refreshing their menu images, particularly for seasonal items.
These additional functions enhance the value proposition of delivery platforms, especially during a period of decreased sales in the food delivery channel due to the resurgence of in-person dining. Delivery companies are continuously striving to improve their customer service features and offer discounted subscriptions to stay competitive.
In a strategic move, Grubhub partnered with Amazon last year to provide one year of free Grubhub+ membership to Amazon Prime members. Moreover, Uber Eats recently introduced family profiles, allowing users to link multiple Uber accounts under one profile, as well as video messages for gift cards. DoorDash has implemented a cash payment option for its white-label delivery service, DoorDash Drive, enabling customers to pay in cash when receiving their orders.
Grubhub’s efforts to enhance its restaurant portal underscore the company’s commitment to delivering a seamless and valuable experience for both its partner establishments and customers alike, as the highly competitive food delivery landscape continues to evolve.
