Grubhub is giving itself a New York-style makeover.
The third-party delivery company said Wednesday that it is relaunching Seamless, the New York-based food delivery provider it merged with in 2013 and then later put on the back burner.
This new-look Seamless will become Grubhub's primary business in New York, where it is still well-known by consumers. Grubhub will remain the company’s identity elsewhere.
The relaunch is part of a new strategy for Grubhub under Wonder, the food hall/delivery concept created by billionaire entrepreneur Marc Lore that acquired it earlier this year.
After joining Wonder, Grubhub did a brand audit and found that New Yorkers still prefer Seamless, which got its start in the city in 1999 as an online corporate catering service. It later expanded to provide restaurant delivery for individual customers and moved into other cities. It is still available nationwide.
Grubhub believes doubling down on Seamless will help it stand out from the competition in New York, which has historically been Grubhub’s biggest market.
“In a time when the food delivery category has become more commoditized, there is clear value in the Seamless brand in New York City,” Grubhub said in a news release.
As part of the switch, Seamless will get a new look and feel, including the insider-y tagline “How New York eats.”
And it will offer some additional perks in hopes of attracting users from other apps. Customers will pay zero fees at a large selection of local restaurants, and they will see generally lower fees across the whole marketplace, Grubhub said.
To celebrate its return, Seamless is also offering specials each week from popular New York restaurants such as Katz’s Deli, Han Dynasty and Di Fara Pizza. Notably, the Di Fara Pizza brand is owned by Wonder and offered at its locations.
Nothing will change for restaurants with the transition, and Seamless’ inventory will be the same as Grubhub’s, a representative said.
Grubhub was founded in Chicago in 2004 and acquired Seamless in 2013. The two apps co-existed until 2021, when Grubhub was acquired by Netherlands-based Just Eat Takeaway.com. Just Eat made the decision to stop promoting Seamless so it could align its marketing behind a single brand.
A pioneer in online food delivery, Grubhub has fallen far behind competitors DoorDash and Uber Eats in recent years. As of March 2024, it made up 8% of all food delivery sales in the U.S., according to Bloomberg Second Measure.
But under Wonder, it has said that it is profitable and growing. It has expanded into grocery and convenience store delivery, lowered its fees and improved its loyalty program, which has boosted customer frequency, the company said.
Grubhub itself is also getting a light brand refresh, including a new shade of orange, bolder colors and a new wordmark. And it will drop the icon featuring a house with a fork and knife, a remnant of the Just Eat Takeaway era.
Grubhub's new branding. | Images courtesy of Grubhub
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that Seamless still existed in New York City before the relaunch.
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