Only the Nice People on Our List Are Receiving 
Food on Demand's Dec. E-Newsletter 
 
    
 
There's no shortage to ingenuity when it comes to our food. Stir in a healthy dose of technology and you begin to get a read on the future-no tea leaves required. 
We decided as a gift to our readers during this busy month that in addition to our longer stories, we'd present you with just the highlights of some of the trends and stats that are shaping the FOD community today. As FOD prepares the agenda for its very own upcoming conference in March, we have pertinent recaps from the recent FOD sessions at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference, hosted by our sister publication, the Restaurant Finance Monitor. And while you may want to put another year to rest, you don't want to rest on your laurels, so continue the momentum you started in the food on demand arena by signing up to attend the FOD Conference March 19 & 20 in Dallas.  Happy holidays. We'll be back in January.


-Nancy Weingartner Monroe
Editor of Food On Demand
Nancyw@foodondemandnews.com


Food on Demand At A Glance
By Nancy Weingartner

Only in an app-happy society does this make sense: UGottaEat is a free app for ioS and Android devices for friends and family who want to share already or soon-to-be prepared food. Food startups based in the Cleveland area are also potential candidates.  Users post free meals up for grabs, such as leftover cookies from a bake sale.  Read More

BurgerFI Develops Tamper-Proof Delivery Packaging
By Thomas Kaiser

Florida-based BurgerFi is the first major national restaurant brand to announce tamper-proof packaging for the food that leaves its locations through take-out and third-party vendors.  Read More
To purchase the full survey contact,
Survey Says... Consumers Answer Key Delivery Questions
By Nick Upton
In a research project sponsored Food On Demand, the study is the first of its kind to take a close look at the leaders in third-party delivery, with an army of 1,400 mystery shoppers across the country. SeeLevel also conducted a large consumer survey to see how users of third-party delivery engaged with those delivery providers.
Read More 

Advice for Driving Delivery Revenue and Demand
By Laura Michaels
The COO of Grubhub, which provides third-party delivery services in more than 800 cities, was joined by Matt Tucker, COO of online ordering and delivery platform Olo, and Mike Church, managing director at Deloitte Consulting, for a discussion at the Restaurant Finance & Development Conference... Read More
Tales Spun Round the Web

TPG Capital Acquires Mendocino Farms
TPG Capital, a private equity firm, has acquired a majority stake in the 16-unit Southern Californian fast-casual chain, Mendocino Farms from Greenwich, Connecticut private equity firm, L Catterton, according to a press release. Terms were not disclosed. Co-founder Mario Del Pero stepped down from his CEO role, and Harald Herrmann stepped in November 16. Herrmann was previously CEO of Darden's Yard House and president of Darden's specialty restaurant group, according to Bloomberg.  

Still No Verdict in First Gig-Economy Labor Trial
Was Raef Lawson an employee or not? That's the issue at the heart of what is being called the first gig-economy labor trial.  Lawson, an aspiring actor who made ends meet on services like Grubhub and Caviar, says he was. Grubhub says he was an independent contractor. It's a murky grey area that the judge admitted was "tricky" given the standard employment framework.  Closing arguments came on October 30, 2017, but there's no word on when a verdict should be expected. But whatever the outcome, the case could have major significance for the nascent third-party delivery industry and the gig economy at large. If gig-economy parent companies are forced to classify drivers, delivery personnel, dog walkers or whoever as employees, the foundation of the gig economy will change drastically.  And that would be a blow for an industry built on 1099 or independent contractors to suddenly have to pay health insurance, employment insurance, taxes and everything else that goes along with standard employees. If that happens, the low prices that persuade customers to order and the ample drivers could both be at risk.

Hairy Crabs Fuel Chinese Delivery Wars
The race to be the best isn't unique to the Western delivery players. In China, two giants are duking it out with a uniquely Chinese ingredient: hairy crabs.  The problem is that the crabs need to be alive for the freshest taste. So both companies have assembled an army of refrigerated logistics trucks and are flying the crabs cross country.  While the competition is not likely to win any awards for green practices, it parallels the same growth of food delivery seen in Western countries-albeit with a very tricky ingredient.  Like the U.S., online food orders account for just 3 percent of food expenditures in China, according to the Wall Street Journal.


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