Grubhub goes to the Super Bowl
Up next on the delivery service's comeback tour: ad airtime during the big game
But first: It’s hard to write about restaurants in this fraught and heartbreaking moment. What’s happening outside, and more specifically what’s happened to people in Minneapolis over the last few weeks, makes my work feel trivial. Today I’m thinking about all of the local restaurants and hospitalitarians that continue to show up immediately and without hesitation for their communities.
Over the last few days, I’ve been inspired by:
Indigenous chef and activist Sean Sherman whose Minneapolis restaurant, Owamni by the Sioux Chef, donated 10 percent of proceeds a few weekends ago to the family of Renee Good
Minnesota food writers continually compiling resources and coverage, including this list
NYC critic Ryan Sutton with a restaurant angle, highlighting the New York Times’ recent reporting in Minneapolis conducted from inside the donut shop steps away from the spot where Alex Pretti was shot and killed
That donut shop’s response and empathy; a reminder of the power, importance, and humanity of small businesses
Minneapolis’s Modern Times Diner temporarily rebranding to Post Modern Times and switching to a donation-based model to feed its community while staff work as volunteers
Social media expert Rachel Karten on posting through tragedy: “Brands want to be friends, but do they care about you?”
The Independent Restaurant Coalition’s work on immigration reform as it applies to skilled work inside restaurants
Grubhub goes to the Super Bowl
Grubhub is running its first Super Bowl ad. The beleaguered food delivery company, sold to New York-based Wonder late last year for $650 million, dropped a teaser yesterday.
The ad is directed by famed director and frequent Emma Stone collaborator Yorgos Lanthimos, who makes his Super Bowl debut this year. “Fans of his work will immediately recognize his style,” according to the Hollywood Reporter. (Fans of his work will also recognize his style in a Super Bowl ad for Squarespace this year — and that one actually features Emma Stone. Big year for Lanthimos at the big game.)
Here’s the Grubhub teaser:
“This February,” it promises, “one food delivery app will finally put their mouth where their money is.”
I can’t parse what that means practically, but Grubhub (and its PR representation, who sent me the teaser) is pushing a disruption narrative. Disruption is, per the publicist who emailed me, “in Grubhub’s DNA.” The ad is in support of something different coming to food delivery, they said.
“Our Super Bowl debut isn’t just an ad—it’s a reset for the Grubhub brand,” Marnie Kain, Grubhub vp of brand said in a statement, adding that Grubhub wants to “fundamentally change what people expect from delivery.”
New owner, new vibes? Any guesses what it’s going to be?
Big money, big delivery, big game
Large delivery companies have previously used the biggest advertising stage of the year to promote emerging initiatives, from such memorable moments as DoorDash tapping Sesame Street Muppets in a campaign to convince viewers that DoorDash is a local business to Uber Eats promoting its delivery offerings beyond restaurants. (Who can forget actress Jennifer Coolidge eating a tube of lipstick to underscore that point, eesh.)
My favorite example so far is from 2024, when DoorDash turned its ad into one giant contest. It gave away products from every company that advertised during the game, and won a prestigious ad award in the process. But the best part about that stunt was that it had to give the winner, a man from Texas, a gift card redeemable with fellow advertiser and top competitor Uber Eats. “We almost forgot,” DoorDash wrote in a post listing the prizes, “but all the ads means all the ads.”
This year, the US market leader is sitting on the sidelines. Instead of running an ad during Super Bowl LX, DoorDash is planning a social campaign. That’s where the customers are, the company’s consumer marketing head told Adweek. (I guess in this context a “sidelines” metaphor doesn’t work. “Playing in a different game,” maybe?)
In contrast, Uber Eats will run its sixth Super Bowl ad, a continuation of last year’s spot that featured Matthew McConaughey as conspiracy theorist. He’s joined by actor Bradley Cooper, which is definitely, I have to say, alright, alright, alright.
