The Dutch Food Delivery King Is Coming to America

The early months of the coronavirus pandemic were both a boon and a strain for U.S.-based food delivery companies. DoorDash, Grubhub, Postmates, and Uber Eats all saw a rush of business while still suffering from the dismal economics that had kept any of them from becoming profitable. It was unclear whether the lockdowns were a moment to shine or collapse.

So they started merging. In May, Uber Technologies Inc. was on the verge of acquiring Grubhub. The deal fell apart at the 11th hour, and Uber went on to buy Postmates for $2.65 billion; Grubhub ended up in the arms of Just Eat Takeaway.com NV, an Amsterdam-based company that had never had a presence in the U.S.