Rent the Courier, Own the Guest

One company may soon control most of the money Americans spend on restaurant and grocery delivery. DoorDash is in advanced talks to buy Instacart for about $17 billion, and a deal could land as soon as Wednesday. Meanwhile, McDonald's, Chipotle and Fogo de Chão are all launching November value plays within days of each other, beef supply is getting tighter, and Sweetgreen just set a new pay benchmark for general managers. The lesson for operators: use the delivery companies' couriers, but keep the customer relationship for yourself. Members get the full breakdown.