GrubHub is a food delivery service that operates in the US. Since it started, it has quickly become one of the most popular options to order and get ready-made food delivered online and on mobile devices. People can now order takeout from their favorite restaurants and have it delivered straight to their homes within hours. But for a company like GrubHub that depends on its visual identity and online presence, its logo is an important part of its business and one that they’ve been able to make work.
Along with its well-known logo, the company has a long history that has made it one of the most well-known food delivery services in the country. Since it was started in 2004, the brand has become trustworthy, strong, and well-known all over the country. Let’s look at the history of the brand’s logo and the history of the logo itself.
What is Grubhub?
This is an American service that allows you to order food online and have it delivered to your home. It is owned by Just Eat Takeaway. Its headquarters are located in Chicago, Illinois. The platform has been in operation since 2004 when entrepreneurs Matt Maloney and Mike Evans founded it. At the moment, the Internet site covers all 50 states in the United States. Its shares have been traded on the stock exchange since 2014.
The History of the Grubhub Logo
Just Eat Takeaway is represented by a variety of brands in 23 countries worldwide. Her US subsidiary, Grubhub, cost her more than $7 billion. The online service kept its original name after being sold to a new owner because marketers saw it as a powerful advertising tool. After all, the Grubhub brand has been around since 2004 and has become well-known throughout the United States. This restaurant food delivery service became so popular that Uber Technologies Corporation was on the verge of purchasing it. Just Eat Takeaway’s enterprising leaders, on the other hand, were quicker. Uber Eats is now one of Grubhub’s main competitors in the American market, alongside other platforms such as EatStreet, Postmates, DoorDash, and others.
A well-thought-out identity system aids the company’s ability to compete. At first glance, its logo appears to be nothing more than an inscription with no distinguishing features. The wordmark, on the other hand, has certain “tags” that allow the owner to be identified. This is the classic red and black sans serif typeface. This is what the Grubhub brand cannot exist without. Furthermore, the use of the brand name as a graphic sign increases brand awareness.
The online service’s iconography has changed several times. Wolff Olins, the advertising agency, last updated the website in 2016. It was a watershed moment in the history of the food delivery service, as the experts managed to increase Grubhub’s revenue and market value. They not only changed the logo, but also adapted the interface, added new functions, and proposed an innovative strategy for the service’s development. This comprehensive approach enabled it to reflect the brand’s ambition through simple visual tools.
2004 – 2011
Matt Maloney and Mike Evans of Chicago founded the Grubhub website and a food ordering company of the same name in 2004. Because restaurant patrons get bored flipping through paper menus, the web developers decided it was a great business idea. They did not overlook the most important aspect of the identity system while developing their online service.
The web service icon was a red rectangle with a radial gradient in the center that blended into the dark edges. A circle in the center was stylized as a three-dimensional ball with highlights, shadows, black borders, and a hazy white outline. He denoted the planet: either our Earth or a collective image that represented the Grubhub universe, complete with catering establishments and a large number of customers.
The improvised planet included a “satellite” in the form of a dish with a cloche lid. The serving dishes flew in a circle, encircling the ball, based on the trajectory. The artists created an annular orbit for the “satellite” and drew steam on top to show that the food was freshly prepared.
The image was supplemented by advertising inscriptions intended to draw visitors’ attention. She appeared to be lying in a red circle, with a white arch made of the words “GrubHub.com” in the upper left corner. Because the Grubhub brand is inextricably linked to the online service, the designers included the website address on the logo. The slogan “WHO DELIVERS?” was below, with a slight shift to the left.” orange ” It was clear what the company was doing thanks to him. It was also used as an effective marketing tool, serving as a sort of call to action.
2011 – 2016
The platform’s owners decided to remove unnecessary elements from the logo in the early 2010s because Grubhub no longer needed advertising. After all, customers already knew what services it provided. As a result, only one short inscription remained on the emblem, representing the brand’s name. It had an arched shape, but it wasn’t very noticeable: one half (“grub”) began at the bottom and was directed upwards, while the other half (“Hub”) went from top to bottom. There was a capital “H” at the split point, and all other letters, including the first “g,” were lowercase. The deep red color and clear geometric sans serif typeface made the word easy to read. And the numerous roundings made the brand symbol approachable.
Except for the inscription, there is nothing in the Grubhub branding. However, even this design is enough to catch the attention of customers because the word is bright and resembles an advertising sign. It is a visual representation of a web service’s ambition, competitiveness, and desire for global market control.
2016 – 2021
Grubhub’s most well-known rebranding occurred in 2016. Wolff Olins handled it, so the food delivery service got a new logo and a completely redesigned concept.
The Grubhub logo is an inscription written in the Barlow Semi Condensed font. Texts on trains, buses, and road signs inspired the geometric grotesque. Its designer, Jeremy Tribby, was inspired by California street typography, so the letters are slightly rounded and have a low contrast.
The lettering was changed, and the name of the online platform was aligned horizontally. All letters have been changed to uppercase and lighter weight. This version proved to be extremely durable, surviving even after the company was sold and taken over by Just Eat Takeaway.
The red color corresponds to the service’s corporate palette. It highlights the Grubhub logo against the background of promotional materials. And because red is associated with hunger and appetite, it is ideal for a food delivery service.
2021 – Today
The Grubhub brand was finally acquired by the Dutch company Just Eat Takeaway.com N.V., which sells food online, in June 2021. A month later, he changed the logo to match the identity of his new owner. As a result, a symbol appeared on the left side in the form of an orange house with a triangular roof and a pipe, as children usually draw it. It is the foundation for knife and fork prints. Negative space shapes the white cutlery silhouettes. This image was lifted from JET, but the inscription “GRUBHUB” remains unchanged. It appears to be the same as the previous logo, with the exception that red has given way to orange.
The Significance of the Logo
Although the logo has undergone numerous visual changes since the company’s inception, we can be certain that a few key elements have remained constant. It’s critical when designing a logo that it’s consistent with the brand and easy for customers to recognize. Even with their most extreme redesigns, GrubHub knows what they’re doing to keep the logo modern and unique. The font used in the logo has remained consistent since its inception.
Even at the start of the logo’s history, when the brand only used a small wordmark, the font was very similar to the one used today. The company’s second logo used the color red and, despite changing the main elements of the logo, it still used red to keep the two logos similar and recognizable. The third logo used the same font and colors as the first, making the two logos even more similar.
The logo was then kept consistent with the same font in the most recent redesign. The letters are still rounded, and the font is the same as the first one we saw used. Overall, the logo is distinct and an excellent representation of a dependable logo that has become well-known and branded over the years.
Elements of the GrubHub Logo Design
- Color: The new orange color of the GrubHub logo matches the official JET palette. It also has white, just like the holding company’s logo.
- Font: The GrubHub logo’s font remained unchanged after the 2021 redesign. It still uses Jeremy Tribby’s thick sans serif Barlow Semi Condensed font, which was inspired by street signs.
The Origins of GrubHub
GrubHub, Inc. is a food ordering and delivery service in the United States that connects customers with local restaurants. It is owned by the parent company Just Eat Takeaway. It was founded in 2004 and is based in Chicago, Illinois.
GrubHub had 115,000 affiliated restaurants in all 50 states and 19.9 million active customers as of 2019. GrubHub Seamless went public on the NYSE in April 2014, trading under the symbol “GRUB.” In June 2020, GrubHub was acquired for $7.3 billion by Dutch-based company Just Eat Takeaway.
Mike Evans and Matt Maloney co-founded GrubHub in Chicago, Illinois, in 2004. They began by developing an alternative to paper menus. Evans and Maloney received a prestigious School of Business award from the University of Chicago in 2006 for their GrubHub business plan.
GrubHub received $1.1 million in Series A funding from Origin Ventures and Amicus Capital in November 2007, allowing it to expand into the New York and San Francisco markets. Leo Capital and Origin Ventures oversaw the company’s Series B funding in the first quarter of 2009, securing $2 million.
GrubHub received $11 million in Series C funding from Benchmark Capital in November 2010. Then, in March 2011, DAG Ventures led a $20 million Series D funding round for GrubHub.
Seamless, MenuPages, AllMenus, Tapingo, and LevelUp are among the brands owned by GrubHub. Seamless is a food ordering service for regional restaurants that operates in the United States and London, England.
GrubHub received $50 million in Series E funding in September 2011, allowing the company to acquire New York-based rival Dotmenu, which owned Campusfood and AllMenus. The same month, GrubHub completed its acquisition of AllMenus. Seamless also acquired MenuPages in the same month.
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GrubHub purchased DiningIn, an online food ordering and delivery service based in Brighton, Massachusetts, in February 2015. In the same month, GrubHub acquired Restaurants on the Run, a corporate food delivery service based in California.
In December 2015, GrubHub purchased Delivered Dish, a food delivery service. Delivered Dish served seven cities in the Pacific Southwest and Northwest, including El Paso, Albuquerque, Portland, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Denver. GrubHub purchased LAbite, a restaurant delivery service based in Los Angeles, in May 2016.
In August 2017, GrubHub agreed to buy Eat24 from Yelp for $287.5 million, subject to regulatory approval. Two months later, the company announced that it had completed its acquisition of Eat24, but that it would be shutting down in late 2018.
GrubHub purchased certain assets from 11 franchise OrderUp markets in September 2018. Specific assets from 27 franchise OrderUp markets had already been acquired by the company. GrubHub acquired full control of OrderUp in October 2018.
GrubHub also acquired Boston-based payment solutions and diner engagement service LevelUp in September 2018. According to reports, the takeover was worth $390 million. Tapingo, a campus food ordering platform based in San Francisco, was acquired by the company in November of that year.
GrubHub acquired the SkipTheDishes business in the United States in March 2019, after the former announced its exit from the market.
GrubHub announced plans to keep its drivers safe from COVID-19 by offering contactless delivery and the option to place pick-up orders for those who felt more comfortable fetching the food themselves by summer 2020, amid the global COVID-19 pandemic in which demand for takeaway and food delivery services soared.
GrubHub’s Business Model
GrubHub claims to serve approximately 7 million active customers (those who have placed an order within the last year) and to process over 267,000 orders per day.
Customers who lack the ability, inclination, or time to cook their food are served by the company’s ordering and delivery service, as are those who want food and takeaways delivered to their homes on demand. Customers can use the platform to order from local restaurants rather than major, established restaurant chains that have their delivery services.
GrubHub also caters to businesses, offering corporate accounts through its brand Seamless. At the moment, Seamless is only available to customers in the United States, where GrubHub serves over 1,000 cities and towns, and in London, England.
Customer Relationships at GrubHub
Customers can use self-service to access GrubHub’s food ordering and delivery platform. Customers can create an account, browse menus, and place orders without interacting with the company directly, all through the company’s mobile apps and website.
Delivery partners can join the GrubHub fleet by filling out an online form. Restaurants, on the other hand, must contact GrubHub directly if they wish to join the GrubHub fleet.
GrubHub provides customer support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, as well as information and FAQs on its website. The company also communicates with its partners and customers via Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
Value Propositions at GrubHub
Customers value GrubHub’s delivery service for its accessibility, breadth, and efficiency. GrubHub allows customers to order food on the go or from home, offering a diverse selection of nearby restaurants and international dishes, and its network includes restaurants that would not usually accept delivery orders.
The company’s food delivery platform also allows users to track their orders in real-time, with customer support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
GrubHub also provides value to its restaurant partners by increasing their visibility and market penetration through its online service and allowing small businesses to process orders online. The company also allows its delivery partners to earn a good living on a part-time, flexible basis, working whenever they want.
GrubHub Groups
The GrubHub food ordering and delivery platform is available via the company’s desktop and mobile websites (www.grubhub.com) as well as its Android and iOS mobile apps. According to GrubHub, mobile apps account for 60% of all orders.
Important GrubHub Activities
GrubHub develops and operates a mobile and online restaurant delivery and pick-up service. Customers can use the firm’s platform to place orders from various local restaurants and track their orders in real-time.
Customers can also use the company’s re-order service to place repeat food orders from their favorite restaurants.
Furthermore, GrubHub operates a restaurant partner network, which it uses to negotiate variable commission rates with independent delivery partners.
Important GrubHub Partners
GrubHub’s main partners are its restaurant chain in the United States and London, England, as well as its independent delivery partners. GrubHub’s delivery network includes approximately 44,000 restaurants, the majority of which are smaller, local establishments without their online ordering system or delivery service.
Whereas competitors have focused on big cities, GrubHub has chosen to work with restaurants in many of America’s small towns and cities, such as Ashburn, Virginia, and Agawam, Massachusetts.
GrubHub also works with several autonomous delivery partners, who must meet the firm’s requirements of owning a dependable vehicle, car insurance, a valid driver’s license, and a clean driving record.
Important GrubHub Resources
GrubHub’s primary resources include its online delivery services, network of restaurant and delivery partners, IT infrastructure, and employees.
Customer support employees at the company are especially important because they allow customers to get help whenever they need it.
In Conclusion
GrubHub is a mobile and online prepared food delivery and ordering service in the United States that connects customers with local restaurants. GrubHub was founded in 2004 and is headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. It is owned by the Dutch company Just Eat Takeaway. Matt Maloney and Mike Evans founded the first GrubHub.
GrubHub began attracting investors in 2007, receiving $1.1 million in its initial round. Amicus Capital, Leo Capital, Origin Ventures, Benchmark Capital, DAG Ventures, and Lightspeed Venture Partners are among the investors who have contributed over $84 million to the firm to date.
During its relatively short history, GrubHub has acquired several food ordering and delivery platforms, and it now operates under the MenuPages and AllMenus brands in addition to its own. Most importantly, in 2013, the company merged with rival food delivery company Seamless.
The merged company, still operating under the GrubHub brand, was listed on the NYSE in 2014 in a $192 million initial public offering. GrubHub’s market capitalization is currently $2.08 billion.
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Grubhub Logo: References
