Retail Foodservice Roundup: Walmart adds restaurant delivery, Whole Foods launches Supper Club series and more

Walmart gets into the restaurant delivery business

The country’s largest grocery retailer is getting into restaurant delivery.  

Walmart announced that shoppers at select locations can now order meals from Subway directly through the retailer’s app and website to be delivered in about 30 minutes or less. Customers can order from Subway on its own or as part of a broader Walmart Express Delivery Order.  

It’s the first time the Bentonville, Arkansas-based retail giant has integrated restaurant ordering into its Express Delivery functionality, a move Walmart said is designed to help customers “simplify everyday life by bringing groceries, household essentials, fashion, prescriptions and restaurant meals together in one convenient experience.” 

Walmart has more Subways in its stores than any other restaurant chain, a partnership that began 22 years ago.  

Subway delivery is currently available from select Walmart stores in Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, and is slated to expand to about 1,400 locations by the end of summer, the retailer said.  

“The future of retail is about bringing more of customers’ needs into a single, seamless experience,” said Tracy Poulliot, EVP of ecommerce and marketing for Walmart U.S. “Bringing Subway delivery into the Walmart app is another way we’re using our proximity to customers and scale to make everyday decisions simpler and everyday life a little easier.” 

Whole Foods pilots a Supper Club series

Amazon-owned grocer Whole Foods Market will launch a three-city Supper Club series later this month that it says is focused on “storytelling and culinary innovation.” 

The grocer partnered with Cherry Bombe, a media company that celebrates the influence of women in food, beverage and hospitality, on the endeavor.  

Dinners are planned in Miami, New York City and Paso Robles, California. The first event, scheduled for Miami on June 23, will focus on health and wellness with a menu that includes adaptogens, functional mushrooms and gut-friendly dishes.  

Future events will focus on female farmers and food and drink trends.  

Pilot fine-tunes its chicken tenders

Knoxville, Tennessee-based c-store chain Pilot upgraded its chicken tenders, yet another example of a convenience store trying to battle head-to-head with QSRs on food quality.  

The reimagined menu item has an improved texture, size and flavor to create a “heartier, meatier” product, the convenience retailer noted.  

To complement the new tenders, Pilot debuted a new Signature Sauce that it says is thick, creamy, bold and smoky. For a limited time, the chain is selling the tenders as part of an $8 Lunch and Dinner Deal with potato wedges and a 20-oz. Dr. Pepper or fountain drink.