News Briefs

Wonder, a new kind of food hall that is revolutionizing the food industry by creating the super app for mealtime, announced that it is acquiring Grubhub, a food ordering and delivery platform with more than 375,000 merchants and 200,000 delivery partners across the United States. Integrating Grubhub with Wonder is the next step in Wonder’s mission to make great food more accessible, bringing together the convenience, speed and selection of first-party and third-party restaurants, groceries and meal kits in a single app order. Additionally, all Wonder locations will be available on Grubhub for third-party delivery.

Wonder will acquire Grubhub from Just Eat Takeaway.com for an enterprise value of $650 million, including $500 million of senior notes and $150 million cash. Completion is expected during Q1 2025, subject to customary closing conditions including regulatory approvals. Jefferies served as Wonder’s exclusive financial advisor on the transaction.

Wonder has also announced an additional $250 million in capital raised exclusively from new investors to further its mission and growth.

Founded Marc Lore,  who was President and CEO of Walmart U.S. eCommerce, Wonder is making great food more accessible while pioneering a new category of “Fast Fine” dining. Wonder offers Multi-Restaurant Ordering, a first in the industry where customers can order from upwards of 30 restaurants in a single order, with each item being made-to-order in a sequenced fashion so that they finish simultaneously and can be delivered to the customer together.

The platform features exclusive offerings from the world’s best chefs–including Bobby Flay, Marcus Samuelsson and José Andrés–and the country’s best restaurants–including Maydan, Tejas Barbecue, Di Fara Pizza and Fred’s Meat and Bread. Wonder currently has 28 locations in the Northeastern U.S., with seven additional locations slated to open by the end of the year. Leveraging its proprietary technology, Wonder is able to differentiate itself from every other restaurant or food delivery concept by offering exceptionally high-quality food, with order-to-delivery times below 30 minutes.

For 20 years, Grubhub has connected merchants with nearby customers looking for takeout and delivery. Its logistics network covers the vast majority of the U.S. population with on-demand delivery from independent restaurants, leading national restaurant brands, and convenience, grocery, pet and office supply retailers. The company’s loyalty program, Grubhub+, provides members with $0 delivery fees, lower service fees and 5 percent back on pickup orders. Beyond its consumer delivery marketplace, Grubhub has a Campus Dining business that powers online ordering at more than 360 universities and a Corporate Accounts business that provides flexible meal perks platforms for more than 10,000 companies.

“Wonder’s acquisition of Grubhub continues our mission to make great food more accessible. As we enhance our customer experience with selection, speed, and variety, we’re excited to soon offer a curated selection of Grubhub’s restaurant partners directly in the Wonder app, alongside our owned and operated restaurants and meal kits,” said Marc Lore, Founder and CEO of Wonder. “Bringing Wonder and Grubhub together is the next step in our vision to create the super app for meal time, re-envisioning the future of food delivery.” 

“I am incredibly excited for Grubhub to join forces with Wonder and bring more value to our diners, merchants and delivery partners,” said Howard Migdal, Grubhub CEO. “Since our earliest days, Grubhub has helped restaurants open their doors to new customers, while introducing diners to new cuisines. That’s why I’m confident that Grubhub will complement Wonder’s mission to make great food more accessible and that together we will create remarkable dining experiences for more customers across the country.”

Shift4 has acquired a majority stake in Vectron Systems AG, a European suppliers of point-of-sale (POS) systems to the restaurant and hospitality verticals. 

Based in Germany, Vectron has 65,000 POS locations across Europe, representing. Shift4 is expected to acquire additional ownership of Vectron through a public tender offer that is expected to conclude within the next month, with a de-listing and formal integration process to occur shortly thereafter.

The acquisition is expected to provide Shift4 with an expansive customer footprint across Europe as well as a distribution network of ~300 POS resellers. As a result of the acquisition, Shift4 believes it will be able to add its integrated payment services to current Vectron customers and products, while also empowering the sales force with a compelling all-in-one POS and payments solution unrivaled in Europe.

“Shift4 was at the forefront of the convergence between software and payments in the restaurant and hospitality verticals in the US. We see an incredible amount of demand for a similar all-in-one solution across Europe,” states Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman. “With our integrated payments and SkyTab offering, we believe we have the best solution at the right price point. Vectron will provide valuable local expertise, infrastructure, and the distribution necessary to meet the demand. This acquisition is right out of the Shift4 playbook – enabling us to unlock synergies, expand our distribution, and monetize payments for a large existing install base.”

Completes Revel Systems Acquistion

In addition to the acquisition of Vectron, Shift4 has also completed its previously announced acquisition of Revel Systems. Revel has over 18,000 merchant locations across the United States and internationally which Shift4 estimates represents a $17B+ payment opportunity. Revel also has a direct sales and dealer distribution network which Shift4 believes can be leveraged to accelerate SkyTab distribution both domestically and abroad. 

Shift4 has signed a definitive arrangement agreement to acquire Givex Corp., a global provider of gift cards, loyalty programs and point-of-sale solutions. 

The Arrangement Agreement is subject to customary closing conditions and the transaction is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of this year. 

With across more than 100 countries, Givex serves a wide range of businesses in various industries, including 7-Eleven, Wendy’s, Best Western, Texas Roadhouse. 

The company offers robust gift card and e-gift solutions as well as customizable loyalty programs, and a point-of-sale (POS) system for various business types, among other value-added services.

 “Givex has a considerable footprint around the world which will dramatically increase Shift4’s overall customer base,” states Shift4 President Taylor Lauber. “At the same time, their gift card and loyalty solutions are second to none and will add significant value for our current customers, creating stickier relationships andh 130,000+ active locations enhancing our overall value proposition. Similar to other deals we have recently completed, this acquisition aligns perfectly with how we like to deploy capital – adding blue-chip merchants at a low customer acquisition cost while delivering additional benefits to our customer base.” 

“The Givex team looks forward to joining the Shift4 family and bring our enterprise gift card capabilities and loyalty programs to hundreds of thousands of new customers,” says Don Gray, CEO of Givex. “By combining Shift4’s end-to-end payment solution with our value-added engagement services, we can deliver an unparalleled package to both of our customer bases.”  

Encore, a global event technology and production services provider, confirmed today the launch of its pioneering ‘Overtime Savings Program’ in the United States, along with additional people-first programs to further support its ongoing workforce in a seasonal industry.

Powered by UKG’s payroll technology, this first-of-its-kind program aims to enhance financial wellness and stability for Encore’s frontline employees, many of whom work in markets that experience seasonal ebb and flow of business volumes.

With 12,000 team members providing event technology and production services at 2,200 hotels and conference venues in 20 countries, Encore faces the same challenges common in the hospitality industry. Seasonal fluctuations often result in workers’ hours varying from ample overtime during peak times to reduced schedules in off-season periods. This seasonality makes it difficult for workers to maintain consistent earnings and creates challenges for companies to retain talent in the off season.

“Encore has always believed its team members are the heart of our story. This people-first mindset motivates us to constantly evolve our team member experience and innovate around challenges, like the impact of seasonality, that the industry previously viewed as immutable,” said Ben Erwin, president and CEO of Encore.

In addition to the Overtime Savings Program, the company launched a Seasonal Leave of Absence Program, which offers team members the flexibility to take time off during slower seasons while retaining full benefits, accruing paid time off, and maintaining their tenure. This unique program enables employees to explore other work opportunities, pursue education, or focus on personal goals without sacrificing benefits or career progression. Both the Overtime Savings and Seasonal Leave of Absence Programs are active nationwide, with plans for global expansion.

“We established the program as another way to support our team members so that they can be at their best in delivering for our customers,” Erwin added. “With this innovation, they can better plan and save their premium overtime pay for periods of the year when they might not work as many hours. Providing this capability and funding a company-paid match for a portion of the savings should motivate financial wellness and enable them to continue to build their career with Encore. Team member reactions tell us we are onto something,” he said.

With a launch just after Labor Day, usage of the UKG Wallet™ increased tenfold compared to the prior year’s period. he company offered an initial savings match, similar to a 401k program incentive match, to reward healthy financial behavior.

“Financial stress is not a problem isolated to our industry, it’s a stressor for nearly everyone,” said Charlie Young, chief human resources officer at Encore. “Nearly 70% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck¹ and Americans spent $9B in bank overdraft fees in 2023. The more we can do to reduce stress for our team members, the more focused they can be on our customers. We are successful in the event production business because of the unique combination of our technical expertise, hospitality mindset and ability to work under pressure and through challenges. Seasonal fluctuations are part of our business, but with a partner like UKG that understands every industry has unique challenges, we were able to innovate to support those unique needs to make our team members’ lives better.”

Cody Browne, a technical lead with five years of service for Encore in Las Vegas, said he will try the Overtime Savings program, in addition to accruing and saving his Paid Time Off, for the slow season in December in Las Vegas. He hopes the vacation time, in addition to the saved overtime funds, will afford him an out-of-state vacation to visit family. “I love that Encore is creating new opportunities, that’s one of the reasons I am interested in growing my career here,” he said.

 Incognia announced its partnership with Grubhub. As part of the company's trust and safety initiative,  the U.S. food ordering and delivery marketplace is leveraging Incognia's fraud prevention technology to increase security on the platform and provide a seamless experience for its community of customers and delivery partners. Initial testing shows the solution will make a substantial impact - Incognia has already been proven to increase order profitability and decrease care costs for Grubhub.

"At Grubhub, we aim to provide a seamless and enjoyable experience for everyone who uses our platform, and maintaining safety and security is key to that commitment," said Jared Horton, Senior Director of Logistics at Grubhub. "Our partnership with Incognia strengthens our ongoing efforts to enhance safety across the platform. Their expertise in keeping marketplaces secure makes them an ideal partner for addressing the unique and complex trust and safety challenges facing platforms like ours."

Users rely on delivery platforms to keep them safe and their accounts secure without compromising a seamless experience. Incognia leverages device fingerprinting, location analysis, and tamper detection features to prevent a variety of fraudulent actions impacting the operational efficiencies of food delivery companies today.

"We're thrilled to partner with Grubhub. This collaboration represents a significant milestone in Incognia's mission to empower safe and seamless digital experiences," said André Ferraz, Co-founder and CEO at Incognia. "By combining Grubhub's expertise with our cutting-edge technology solutions, we're confident this partnership will set a new trust and safety standard for the food delivery industry."

Incognia is used by global companies across industries, including food delivery, ride-hailing, peer-to-peer marketplaces, and financial services. After securing $31M in funding earlier this year, Incognia is dedicated to expanding its strategic partnerships and continuing to develop and enhance its robust fraud prevention offerings.

For more information, visit www.incognia.com. 

PAR Technology, a global foodservice technology company, announces the introduction of PAR Clear — a drive-thru communications headset system built to elevate the entire customer experience. 

Communication at the drive-thru can make or break the customer experience, and when it falls short, it can lead to longer wait times, order errors, and reduced profitability. PAR Clear addresses these challenges with exceptional audio clarity, extended range, and intuitive controls, empowering quick-service restaurants to streamline operations, increase order accuracy, and keep lines moving — all while boosting customer satisfaction and profitability.

With the drive-thru’s role continuing to expand, industry data highlights the impact of effective communication: total service times are faster, and wait times drop significantly when customers don’t need to repeat their orders. Designed with these demands in mind, PAR Clear provides crystal-clear audio essential for eliminating miscommunication and driving throughput. Additionally, order accuracy increases when communication is clear, further underscoring the need for PAR Clear’s high-fidelity audio in delivering a fast, seamless drive-thru experience.

"PAR Clear isn’t just another headset system; it’s the next step in drive-thru innovation," said Savneet Singh, CEO of PAR Technology. "We designed it to give operators a competitive edge with superior clarity and range that truly sets it apart from the competition. This is the future of drive-thru, and it’s here today."

Key highlights include:

• Crystal-Clear Audio: With HD Wideband Audio and a state-of-the-art Digital Signal Processor, PAR Clear delivers superior clarity, even in the busiest environments. Its dual-array microphones aim to capture every word, whether from the driver or backseat passengers.
• Extended Range & Flexibility: Powered by DECT 6.0 technology, PAR Clear has the longest range in the industry — providing operators with the flexibility to handle even the most complex store layout.
• Cloud-Based Management: The cloud-based platform allows operators to manage their system remotely, allowing for smooth operation with full control over updates, configuration, and troubleshooting.
• Sleek Command Console: The 11.6” wall-mounted touchscreen offers quick, easy control over the system’s settings, such as volume and headset registration, all without needing an internet connection.
• Future-Ready: Designed for scalability, PAR Clear supports multiple lanes and can easily integrate with future technologies — so operators can expand and adapt without needing additional hardware.

"Our focus has always been on delivering hardware that helps operators stay ahead of the curve," added Jason Riggs, General Manager for Hardware at PAR Technology. "PAR Clear enables operators to reduce service times while positioning them to easily integrate with future technologies, like AI, in the years to come.”

Bringing the Future of Drive-Thru Technology, Today

After successful beta testing in select locations, PAR Clear is now available to QSR operators, bringing significant improvements in communication clarity and operational flexibility. Early customer feedback confirms that PAR Clear delivers faster service and minimizes miscommunication errors, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and throughput.

Don’t wait — experience the future of drive-thru communication now.

For more information on PAR Clear and how it can help transform your drive-thru operations,  visit partech.com.