News Briefs

Grubhub is expanding its Campus Dining business to more than 60 schools . Grubhub Campus Dining is the higher-ed-focused part of Grubhub's business that serves college students and directly integrates mobile ordering into campus meal plans. 

With these new additions, Grubhub now reaches half a million new students and serves a total of more than 4.5 million students.

New campus partners include the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the University of Tampa, the University of Missouri, Howard University and Tulane University. With the addition of these campuses, Grubhub now works with more than 360 universities, up 21 percent from last year.

Automated Delivery with Robots 

Grubhub partners with Cartken, Kiwibot and Starship to provide robot delivery on college campuses and is expanding to nearly a dozen more schools this semester. New additions include the University of Mississippi, Prairie View A&M University, Howard University, the University of New Mexico and the University of Houston.

Robot delivery is currently found on more than 20 campuses—including The Ohio State University, the University of Arizona, the University of Notre Dame and the University of North Dakota—where hundreds of thousands of orders have been delivered via robots to date.

Amazon's Just Walk Out Technology

Ursinus College, the University of Virginia and Lindenwood University are deploying Amazon's Just Walk Out technology on campuses this fall. Ahead of last year's fall semester, Grubhub brought Amazon's Just Walk Out technology to its campus partners to enhance the dining experience. This technology allows users to shop at campus convenience stores and skip the checkout line. At the same time, payment is automatically deducted from their meal plan, declining account balance, or other linked Grubhub payment methods. Schools that have already adopted this technology include Stevens Institute of Technology, Montclair State University and Loyola University Maryland.

Sustainable Solutions 

Grubhub partners with Topanga.io, a reusable packaging management platform, to bring a sustainable dining solution to its campus partners. Through Topanga.io's ReusePass program, students can select reusable packaging at checkout and have their meals packaged in a reusable container, utilizing Topanga.io's track-and-trace technology.

Virginia Tech and the State University of New York at New Paltz are deploying this technology this semester. Schools that already use this technology include California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, The Ohio State University, Colorado State University, Boston University, The University of Delaware and Brandeis University.

Grubhub Campus Dining
With Grubhub Campus Dining, campuses can choose the solution that works best for them—whether it's mobile integration, on- or off-campus ordering, or both. Students can easily find both on- and off-campus dining options and view their available balance on their campus homepage within the Grubhub mobile app. These solutions help campuses increase the value of their dining services by providing students with more flexibility in how and when they use their dining plans.

And for even greater value, students whose schools are partnered with Grubhub are eligible to receive Grubhub+ Student for free. That means $0 delivery fees and lower service fees on eligible orders, 5 percent back in Grubhub+ credit on off-campus pickup orders, exclusive deals and more. 

Agilysys, Inc., a global provider of hospitality software solutions and services, announced it has acquired Book4Time, Inc., a provider of spa management SaaS software, serving more Forbes 5-Star-rated spas than any other solution.

As the top enterprise SaaS technology for wellness hospitality organizations, Book4Time manages guest experiences at spas, international hotels, resorts, casinos, golf and private member clubs in more than 100 countries. Acquiring Book4Time expands the opportunity for Agilysys to increase its solutions-per-customer penetration globally.

Hospitality properties use Book4Time to improve revenue, operational efficiency and capacity utilization for spa operations by utilizing the system’s appointment booking, contactless guest intake, revenue and yield management and other capabilities. Book4Time grew its global footprint, in part, through relationships with global hotel and resort brands; integrations with more than 60 technology providers, including property management systems (PMS) and point-of-sale systems (POS); and its highly efficient remote implementation, training and support capabilities.

Roger Sholanki, Book4Time Founder and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “Over the past 20 years, we have worked hand-in-hand with the world’s leading hospitality brands in over 100 countries to develop the industry’s #1 SaaS platform for spa and wellness operations. We are excited about the opportunity to join forces with the impressive Agilysys team and our shared vision to deliver High Return Hospitality. The technology innovation strengths of Agilysys and the broad range of state-of-the-art solutions in their portfolio, including membership and golf, exponentially elevates the value we can deliver to clients.”

Agilysys President and CEO Ramesh Srinivasan commented, “In addition to sharing our commitment to equipping hospitality staff with world-class technology that helps them better serve their guests, the exceptionally talented and dedicated Book4Time team shares our skills in working with some of the most renowned and discerning properties in the world.”

Mr. Srinivasan continued, “We look forward to accelerating hospitality technology innovation together as we combine our product strengths, fully tap our mutual passion for serving customers and make our value proposition to the hospitality industry even more compelling. While we share some industry-leading customers, such as Marriott International and Hilton, there is minimal overlap of properties in our respective customer bases, presenting opportunities to introduce additional software solutions to a wider range of existing customers.”

The all-cash transaction closed for approximately $150 million USD, subject to customary closing adjustments. Any impacts to the Company’s financial guidance for the 2025 fiscal year along with further details will be discussed during the upcoming Agilysys fiscal 2025 second quarter earnings call in October 2024.

Church's Texas Chicken has selected ParTech Inc.'s loyalty and offers solution, PAR Punchh. to enhance their customer experience. This collaboration promises to redefine how customers engage with their favorite chicken brand.

Crafting a Superior Experience

By choosing PAR’s Punchh platform, Church's Texas Chicken is transforming its guest engagement and loyalty program. This decision was driven by Punchh’s proven expertise in swiftly implementing comprehensive loyalty solutions tailored to the dynamic needs of the restaurant industry.

PAR Punchh's platform will empower Church's Texas Chicken to streamline offer management and implement a full loyalty program to drive customer satisfaction and loyalty. This collaboration marks a significant milestone for both Punchh and Church's Texas Chicken, signaling a joint commitment to elevating the customer experience in the quick-service restaurant sector.

"PAR Punchh has consistently demonstrated the ability to quickly implement comprehensive loyalty solutions that meet the dynamic needs of large-scale operations for our brand," said Jessica Wu-McConnell, Vice President of Digital and Loyalty at Church's Texas Chicken. "Their responsive support and proven scalability were key factors in our decision, ensuring a smooth and efficient launch of our loyalty initiatives."

Rewards 

Church's Texas Chicken has launched an all-new loyalty program, Church’s Real Rewards, at all their U.S. locations. This program leverages Punchh’s Loyalty and Campaigns solutions to offer a robust, points-based experience. 

Susannah Frost has been named President of Chick-fil-A, Inc., effective Oct. 1.

She will be the sixth person to hold the leadership role since the company’s founding in 1967. 

“Susannah has demonstrated tremendous leadership throughout the business and has the range of expertise that will help the company continue growing with care and confidence,” said Chief Executive Officer, Andrew T. Cathy and grandson of founder Truett Cathy. “Having served as the CEO for three years, the timing is right to expand our leadership capabilities to include a president who will work closely with me and our executive committee to steward our domestic and global expansion.” 
 

Executives on the Move

Frost's move to president marks a notable week of restaurant executives on the move.  Brian Niccol is leaving his top post at Chipotle to lead Starbucks.  Laxman Narasimhan stepped down as CEO and as a director of  Starbucks effective immediately.

As CEO, Frost will continue to focus on the overall strategic direction for the enterprise and culture while Frost, as President, will focus on providing strategic clarity and alignment in the core business so that Chick-fil-A can sustain healthy growth and maintain market leadership. She will also lead the Executive Committee. Frost currently leads Restaurant Development and Field Operations for Chick-fil-A, Inc. overseeing the company’s real estate portfolio and leading field operations for more than 3,000 restaurants domestically.  

In related news, Cliff Robinson is being named Chick-fil-A's Chief Operating Officer (COO). Robinson currently serves as Chief People Officer and his responsibilities will expand to include leading Field Operations and Restaurant Development.  As COO he will continue to ensure talent remains a competitive advantage, while overseeing operations and the company’s continued expansion.  Robinson began working at Chick-fil-A at a young age as the son of a Chick-fil-A restaurant Owner-Operator.  He joined the company corporate Support Center staff in 1990 and has held increasing roles of responsibility, including various roles leading Field Operations, Restaurant Development and most recently as Chief People Officer. 

Robinson will assume his new role Oct. 1. 

Knowland, a provider of data-as-a-service insights on meetings and events for hospitality, and Amadeus, a technology provider for the travel industry, present the metrics from the companies’ Hospitality Group and Business Performance Index (the “Index”). For the second quarter of 2024, the Index shows overall health of 105.5 percent year-over-year (YOY.) This is the first time the overall Index has exceeded 100 percent, reflecting continued industry health across all reported indices. In addition, 22 of the top 25 U.S. markets have achieved 100 percent or more in overall performance compared to the same time in 2023. 

1. Las Vegas               117.9 Percent 
2. Seattle                 117.6 Percent
3. Nashville            114.2 Percent
4. Detroit                110.2 Percent
5. Houston              108.9 Percent
6. Miami                 108.2 Percent
7. Washington DC   108.0 Percent
8. Philadelphia        107.4 Percent
9. Tampa                107.0 Percent
10. New York City    106.6 Percent
11. Dallas                 106.2 Percent
12. San Francisco      105.9 Percent
13. Boston                105.6 Percent
14. Phoenix              104.5 Percent
15. Denver                104.4 Percent
16. Minneapolis        104.3 Percent
17. San Diego           103.9 Percent
18. Chicago              103.8 Percent
19. Atlanta                103.7 Percent
20. St. Louis             103.6 Percent
21. San Antonio        102.9 Percent
22. Austin                 102.7 Percent

While these were the top growth markets overall, 21 of the top 25 markets achieved 100 percent or more growth in the Group segment for 2Q2024 compared to the same period last year. This reflects continued growth for seven consecutive quarters. The top Group growth markets were Las Vegas (125.7 percent), Detroit (122.2 percent), and Seattle (117.8 percent). 

The Index combines event data from the Knowland platform with hotel booking data from Amadeus’ Demand360® business intelligence solution to provide aggregate views of the key drivers of hotel performance. The aggregated index reflects performance or “health” for all segments – Group, Corporate Negotiated, Global Distribution System (GDS), and Events. It offers filters for event market segments and booking industries, empowering hoteliers, destinations, and convention and visitor bureaus to adapt strategies effectively.

Key insights from the Index are as follows: 

• Strong group growth with Northeast and Midwest regions leading the charge. The Group Index has achieved seven consecutive quarters of year-over-year growth, reaching 108 percent. This includes 103.4 percent of last year’s room nights and a 4.4 percent increase in the average daily rate. The Northeast and Midwest regions were standout performers, experiencing double-digit growth in group nights. 
• Performance of indirect distribution rallies beyond 2023 levels, leading all segments in growth. The GDS Index scored 112 percent overall, with room night production at 109.1 percent of last year and a 2.4 percent increase in average daily rate (ADR). The most significant growth in GDS room nights booked occurred in the Northeastern region, with New Jersey, Maine, and Rhode Island experiencing more than 25 percent YOY growth.
• Negotiated performance remains stable compared to last year. The Negotiated Index score was 102 percent with 98.5 percent of the 2023 room nights and a 3.8 percent increase in ADR. Eighteen of the top 25 markets achieved 100 percent or more versus the same period last year.
• Event volume is steady as meetings get bigger. Events remained consistent in 2024 compared to 2023. With the reduction of one-day meetings, some of those events have been moved to multi-day events that may be held less frequently. Growth continues in the Top 25 markets, which continue to attract events with their versatility and range of experiences. However, the higher ADR for these markets ($229/night in Q2) may have caused a share of events to transition to non-Top 25 markets, which averaged $185/night in Q2.
• Meetings continue to provide stability for hotels after the 2023 boom year. Average attendee size held steady at 145 guests. Nashville rose to 131.6 percent, Detroit was 120.3 percent, and Miami was 113.7 percent. Eleven of the top 25 markets achieved 100 percent or more for Q2 2024 versus the same period last year. The average space used was consistent with Q1 moving slightly from 3,981 to 4,025 sq. ft. 
• The normalization of business segments is evident. The comprehensive health index has demonstrated improvement, rising from 99.9 percent in Q1 2024 to 105.5 in Q2 2024, indicating consistency and robustness across all sectors as organic growth gains prominence. 

Go here to download the full report.
 

By using industry-leading data from the Knowland platform and trusted sales & catering solutions like Amadeus' Delphi®, hoteliers can develop precise, data-driven strategies to boost group sales and efficiently manage the entire process from lead to event execution.

ABOUT THE HOSPITALITY GROUP & BUSINESS PERFORMANCE INDEX METHODOLOGY
The Hospitality Group & Business Performance Index uses a multi-factor weighting system that balances metrics such as group, corporate transient, and GDS room nights with average daily rate (ADR) performance. Each factor is averaged to provide a final index score, ensuring a more accurate overall performance assessment.