The robot delivering your meal might have a human driver

Jun 27, 2023
Food delivery robots are popping up across America with varying levels of autonomy. A company called Coco employs remote pilots.
Chef Rita Huda looks out from her restaurant, Rita’s Gate of India, in Santa Monica, California. Remotely piloted robots deliver some of its orders.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

France cracks down on "dark store" meal delivery services

Dec 27, 2022
In some of Paris' neighborhoods, residents have had enough of so-called "dark stores" that offer home grocery and meal deliveries.
Scooters that make deliveries for a “dark store” in Paris are parked in a residential neighborhood. Some residents say these delivery services are noisy and have had a negative impact on their quality of life in the city.
John Laurenson

Food delivery apps supersized in recent years, but profits didn't

Nov 30, 2022
Job cuts at DoorDash reflect a changing economy.
The market for food delivery apps boomed during the pandemic, but the "lifeline" they provided is no longer vital.
Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

How might delivery apps evolve in a new regulatory climate?

Sep 24, 2021
The apps could start passing more costs to consumers or bypass traditional restaurants, to make thin margins in the delivery business work.
OLIVIER DOULIERY/AFP via Getty Images

NYC passes new protections for delivery app workers

Sep 23, 2021
DoorDash opposed the measures, which set standards for delivery distances and minimum payments per order.
Men on food delivery bikes are seen in Brooklyn in March 2020. New York City passed legislation aimed at protecting app-based food delivery workers on Thursday.
Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Why are some restaurants shutting the door on food delivery giants?

Aug 18, 2021
Steep third-party food delivery fees are driving some restaurant owners to seek alternatives.
An Uber Eats delivery person hauls food on a bicycle. Jon Sewell says his delivery co-op, which is owned by restaurants, cut delivery costs and improved service.
Sean Gallup via Getty Images

DoorDash and Albertsons bet heavily on online grocery shopping

Jun 25, 2021
Grocery delivery became an overnight necessity for many during the pandemic, and it may be a habit that will stick.
DoorDash will be partnering with Albertsons to expand its grocery delivery sources.
Eric Baradat/AFP via Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Inside a “ghost kitchen” with Kitchen United

May 27, 2021
Delivery-only restaurants are on the rise. Here's what a virtual food hall looks like.
A customer picks up a takeout order at Kitchen United’s pickup center in Pasadena, California where multiple restaurants share one storefront and fill takeout and delivery orders only.
Maria Hollenhorst/Marketplace

DoorDash offers lower-fee service to restaurants

Apr 27, 2021
The delivery app had been criticized for taking high commissions on orders during the pandemic.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Direct-to-consumer models key to post-pandemic future for many British businesses

Apr 21, 2021
Across Europe, e-grocery is booming. Companies that successfully pivoted want to hold onto this new slice of business.
Smith and Brock quickly pivoted its wholesale produce business to supply individual consumers during the UK's first lockdown in 2020. Now, it's a booming part of the business and one the company is looking to expand further in 2021. (Photo by Mark Case/Getty Images)