1.6 min. read
First, restos agreed to share food delivery services. Then, they agreed to share the airwaves for their apps. Now, restaurants are sharing their apps! Is app consolidation the next wave in the homogenization of the food universe?
As often happens in the Foodsphere, Walmart has broken new ground in reaching out to its fans. And dipped a toe into the Fast Food space…
Just the beginning?
This could just be the beginning of a much more-important, and impactful ‘disturbance in the Force’ in the greater Foodiverse. One in which supermarkets, Fast Food purveyors and other sustenance purveyors get directly to consumers through a single channel. And ordering app ‘superchannels’ trigger a face off between a few mega-alliances vying for your business…
What’s happening?
Walmart has announced it’s going to share its smart phone app with a leading coffee-and-doughnut brand and a major pizza name. Dunkin’ and Papa John’s have hooked themselves to Walmart’s coat-tails, allowing fans to order groceries and restaurant favorites all in one app.
The Dunkin’ and Papa John’s orders will be delivered via Walmart’s Express Delivery service.
Subway is already aboard the Walmart app train, under the ‘Restaurants’ tab.
Dunkin’ deepens its commitment
Dunkin’ is already in bed with Walmart, with a first tranche of in-store locations open in 500 selected Walmart stores. The doughnut guys are in the process of expanding to all 10,000+ Walmart locations in the US.
The addition of Jimmy John’s to the Walmart alliance is a natural, considering both JJ’s and Dunkin’ are owned by holding company Restaurant Brands International (RBI). Come to think of it, holding company ‘membership’ is yet another way restos have consolidated in recent years…
More to come?
RBI boasts a stable full of fast Food Thoroughbreds including: Burger King, Tim Horton’s, Popeye’s, and Firehouse Subs. Who will be next to join the Walmart resto alliance?
My take
So… Here goes the next phase of consolidation in the Fast Food industry – and it involves the super-market sector as well!
Even I didn’t foresee this one, back in the mid 20-teens, when I first predicted that there would be a massive upheaval in the Fast Food sector by the mid 2020s. I also predicted that Fast Food brands would close or consolidate with other names to protect themselves in the face of progressively tougher competition in an increasingly crowded market space.
And I am not too modest to note than my predictions have come true – in spades!
~ Maggie J.