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20 Things You Didn't Know About Grubhub

Grubhub is a unique and appreciated online marketplace that caters to hungry diners who are looking for a good takeout restaurant to grab a fast and convenient meal without the hassle of waiting for seating or dressing for dinner. It's an online and mobile food ordering and delivery company that not everyone has heard about yet, but those who have certain appreciate how much convenience it adds to their lives. Here are 20 interesting facts about Grubhub that most people are not aware of.

1. Grubhub revolutionized ordering takeout food

With customer demands for faster and better service in practically all aspects of their lives, Grubhub takes technology and service to a new level. Some restaurants have finally caught on to the fact that their competition is doing more business because they offer online and mobile ordering platforms along with food delivery, but not all of them have joined the ranks. Grubhub is a business that partners directly with restaurants and fast food chains to allow customers with an appetite to order their meals through a handy phone app or from their laptops or PCs from their favorite participating restaurants. Food is even delivered to the specified location and it couldn't be easier to plan dinner at home or on the go. It's as easy as browsing through your favorite local restaurant menus, placing your order and getting your food delivered. It's a straightforward and hassle-free process.

2. Grubhub is so popular that their quarterly profits doubled

The demand for the services that Grubhub supplies are so high that the company more than doubled their profits in a single quarter. This caused the shares for the business to go up by 26% which is nothing short of remarkable. If you were in on the ground floor of Grubhub you are likely to be a very happy investor. When shares increased by 33 cents it was good news for those who were pleased with a 17 cent rise the year before.

3. There are more than 15 million diners using Grubhub

Research on the statistics of Grubhub showed that there were an estimated 15.58 million diners using Grubhub. This is not only good news for Grubhub, but also for the local restaurants who had the foresight to partner with them. With restaurant sales up, it means that the local economies are getting a boost and the service that they provide is not only good for the end users who get to enjoy a convenient meal of their choice, it also means that the local restaurants are selling more food and bringing in more revenue. Grubhub is good for everyone involved.

4. The average grub total is in the thousands

When a customer places an online or mobile order for food, it's referred to as a grub. Statistics that are tracked through Grubhub show that on an average day, there are 423,200 grubs being placed. When you think about it, just ten days worth of grubbing amounts to over four million grubs. These are a lot of food orders being placed. Are you a frequent grubber? If you're not, you might want to give it a try instead of settling for gas station food when you're on the go. Some of these grubs are from repeat grubbers though, they're not all unique visitors to the site, but it's easy to understand how grubbing can become a habit.

5. There are more than 95,000 restaurants participating

One of the most important things that make Grubhub so very successful is the fact that there are over 95,000 restaurants who have decided to partner with them. This solves a problem for both companies involved in the agreement. Restaurants must offer online and mobile ordering to keep up with customer demands and Grubhub is supplying them with the option and doing all the legwork for them. It's a win-win situation because, without participating restaurants, Grubhub wouldn't exist today and that would make a lot of people sad, especially repeat grubbers who have come to rely on them for their sustenance.

6. GrubHub's partners are from 1,700 US cities and London

If you haven't heard about Grubhub yet, it's probably because they're only active in 1,700 locations throughout some cities in the United States and one in England. The company is active though so if it isn't a service that is currently offered in your area, the odds are in favor of it reaching your neck of the woods at some time in the future.

7. If you want to tip your driver, it's much appreciated

When you order your meals through Grubhub there is a $50 minimum on the order total so it's a good idea to go in with some friends or family on the order. It does cost to have it delivered. The standard delivery fee is $9.99, but what a lot of grubbers don't know is that the tip for the delivery driver is not figured into the delivery fee. If you decide that you want to give them a tip, it's always appreciated. They are paid for their services but it's not a lot and they are very much appreciated by the hard-working delivery men and women.

8. There are some decent perks for Grubhub delivery drivers

If you're looking for a job that will allow you to travel to different locations, then you might want to consider applying to work as a driver for Grubhub. The average base pay is $12 per hour starting wage but they have some other perks that make it more appealing. They also offer a cash bonus that ranges between $1,000 to $2,000 with the average annual cash bonus of $1,440 per year and other perks, such as commission sharing options that combine for a total average in additional payments of $2,700 per year. Delivery drivers average a total pay of $25,755 per year.

9. Grubhub makes their money on commissions

For every meal that they process orders for and deliver for restaurants, Grubhub is paid a commission. This is how they have made their astronomical profits. They charge the restaurant a commission fee for each order that is placed and when you consider the fact that they process an average of 423,200 orders a day, they're making a pretty penny. The fee that they charge the restaurants are not large though. Grubhub has declined to confirm the precise amount that they charge for their services, and it would be difficult for them to nail this figure down exactly because from what they've disclosed, their fees are not set in stone and it sounds like they make individual agreements with each restaurant as to how much they will be charged per order.

10. There are extra perks for participating restaurants

Grubhub makes it worth a restaurant's while to partner with them. They not only help with orders and deliveries, but they also give each restaurant some great exposure to the public. This kind of advertising is worth its weight in gold. Grubhub has a ranking system on its website. Higher rates of orders placed for a restaurant is rewarded by Grubhub by moving the establishment higher up in their rankings on the listings of restaurants for the area. If a restaurant desires to have better rankings, they can also pay commission rates that are higher than the established base rate by Grubhub. It's like paying for increased rankings and it's a system that is mutually beneficial for everyone involved.

11. The standard commission is based on the value of the meal

One of the reasons why Grubhub can't tell you in exact numbers what their commission fees are is because of the fact that the commissions for each meal processed range between five to fifteen percent of the value of the meal. Higher end restaurants may choose the five percent or if they want the higher rankings, they can pay up to fifteen percent, but the average commission fee settled upon is at about 13.5%. It's nice that there is a decent range of options that are made available to participating restaurants. This makes it easier for smaller restaurants that are struggling to benefit from using Grubhub's services.

12. GrubHub's Paid Inclusion clause is controversial

The way that Grubhub goes about setting their fees for partnering restaurants has always been a controversial method and it's not a business model that is recommended because of its ambiguity. In fact, using this model can make it very difficult for a business's strategic planning team to work with because it's hard to make any solid projections. The best that they can do is work with the data that has been generated so far, but it's a model that has proven to be crazy successful for Grubhub.

13. Grubhub is free to use

When you pay for your meals you are not paying Grubhub. The 9.99 delivery fee is not being charged by Grubhub either, it's from the restaurant that you ordered your meal from or from the delivery service that they use, but it is not ever a charge that originates with Grubhub. They make their money off of the commissions that they charge their partners in the restaurant business.

14. You can track the status of your order

Grubhub offers an easy way to know where your order in the process. All you have to do is log into your Grubhub account and you can check on the status of your order through the Grubhub homepage. It is located in the Your Orders category. All you need to do is click on the track the order link that is sent to you from the confirmation email that was sent to you. If you don't have this you can also find it on the Contact Us page.

15. You can change or cancel an order after you place it

Grubhub does offer a way to cancel or change an order that you have placed with them under certain conditions, but you have to act fast. The first step to take is to call them via telephone immediately when you decide to cancel. If the restaurant has not yet begun to prepare your food, you can still cancel, but if they have, you will not be able to do so. Grubhub recommends allowing for no less than four hours before the scheduled delivery time for order changes or cancellations.

16. Customer Service is great at Grubhub

If there is something wrong with your order, Grubhub welcomes your call. You can either contact them by telephone or by chat to let them know what the problem is with the order. It's always a good idea to keep your order confirmation email handy because this will help them to serve you more quickly. They are available to deal with your concerns, but they will need to have detailed information about your order included in the confirmation email because of the thousands of orders they process daily.

17. You have to check your spam folder if you're a first timer

Many first time grubbers complain that they didn't receive a confirmation email for their order. If it's the first time that you've ordered from Grubhub, it probably went to your spam folder. It's important to set your email preferences to include Grubhub's confirmation emails so they will be delivered to your inbox. If you don't receive a confirmation email within 20 minutes, then you should either chat with them online or call to make sure your order went through and get the information.

18. You can place rush orders with Grubhub

If something comes up that makes your order unique, there is usually an excellent solution provided. For example, if you want to have your order as soon as possible, also referred to as an ASAP order, it's totally possible. You simply select Delivery or Pickup and enter the complete street address for the delivery location and then select Find Food. A listing of restaurants will appear and after you've made your food selections, proceed to checkout. Enter your special instructions that let the restaurant know that you want the order as soon as possible then you'll be given a confirmation email and notification when the restaurant starts preparing your order.

19. You can place orders in advance

If you have a busy schedule and you want to make an advanced order placement, Grubhub is happy to comply with your request. You can place an advance order up to four days before you want it delivered. You have the option of stipulating whether you want to have your order delivered or picked up. This also gives you enough time to change the order if the need arises.

20. Grubhub offers an app

Grubhub offers a special app for ordering through their company. It's available for Android and iOs and it can be downloaded from their website by selecting the Our Apps option. The app even makes it easy to leave your feedback.

Dana Hanson

Written by Dana Hanson

Dana has extensive professional writing experience including technical and report writing, informational articles, persuasive articles, contrast and comparison, grant applications, and advertisement. She also enjoys creative writing, content writing on nearly any topic (particularly business and lifestyle), because as a lifelong learner, she loves to do research and possess a high skill level in this area. Her academic degrees include AA social Sci/BA English/MEd Adult Ed & Community & Human Resource Development and ABD in PhD studies in Indust & Org Psychology.

Read more posts by Dana Hanson

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