Contents
DoorDash is in advanced talks to acquire grocery delivery service Instacart in a deal that could value Instacart at $17 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. The deal could be finalised as soon as this week, according to Nation's Restaurant News. The transaction would combine two of the largest delivery marketplaces in the US, with Instacart's 100,000 stores and 2,200 grocery brands sitting alongside DoorDash's more than 200,000 grocery and retail locations.
The numbers explain the pressure. DoorDash's share of spending across major delivery apps rose from 44% in Q2 2021 to 59% in Q3 2026, while Instacart's fell from 26% to 18% over the same period, according to Consumer Edge data cited by Nation's Restaurant News. Uber Eats rose from 16% to 18%. Michael Gunther, SVP of research and market intelligence at Consumer Edge, said the trends "partly reflect the expansion of DoorDash and Uber Eats into grocery, convenience and other retail categories, increasingly competing in areas historically associated with Instacart."
The deal follows Uber's announcement earlier this month that it would buy workplace catering marketplace ezCater for $2.3 billion in cash. For UK vendors selling delivery integration, menu management and data tools into hospitality, the consolidation is a signal: fewer, larger delivery platforms means fewer buying centres. A vendor whose product plugs into DoorDash, Uber Eats and Instacart separately may soon be selling into two accounts rather than three. That concentrates revenue risk and raises the stakes on retaining platform partnerships.
UK card fee claims target every business that takes cards
Visa and Mastercard are facing two proposed UK class-action lawsuits seeking billions of pounds for allegedly unlawful consumer card fees, Finextra reports. The claims, filed in the Competition Appeal Tribunal by law firms Harcus Parker and Hausfeld, would cover all UK businesses for all transactions involving Mastercard or Visa consumer debit, credit or prepaid cards between October 2020 and October 2026.
The claims concern multilateral interchange fees set by the card schemes and paid by businesses through their banks on every card transaction. In June 2025, the CAT found that commercial and consumer card MIFs materially prevented, restricted and distorted competition. Both card schemes have signalled they will appeal.
Stephen Allen, the proposed class representative, said: "Every business that takes cards pays these fees, from a corner shop to a national chain. In previous cases, the Tribunal has found that these fees were unlawful, and that in almost all instances it is businesses, rather than consumers, who have suffered the losses arising from Visa's and Mastercard's MIFs."
Businesses with UK domicile and annual group turnover under £100 million between 2022 and 2024 are automatically included in the opt-out proceedings unless they choose to opt out. Those at £100 million or above may join the opt-in claim. Last May, the CAT signed off Mastercard's £200 million settlement of a consumer class action, which could see millions of shoppers receive up to £70 each.
For payment vendors serving hospitality, the claim matters on two fronts. Any downward pressure on interchange ultimately flows into processor margins and the rates merchants pay. And the automatic opt-out structure means a large share of UK hospitality operators are already inside the claim, which creates a conversation point for vendors positioning themselves as transparent on fees.
KFC opens Waterlooville site under £1.5bn expansion plan
KFC opened a new restaurant at Waterloo Park in Waterlooville, Hampshire on 26 October, creating 40 jobs. The 2,709 sq ft site seats 72 customers and includes drive-through, delivery services and a dedicated waiting area for delivery drivers. It is operated by franchise partner K&Z Holdings, which has worked with KFC for 20 years and now runs 14 sites.
The opening forms part of KFC's £1.5 billion investment plan for the UK and Ireland, announced during the brand's 60th anniversary. The plan includes opening 500 restaurants over the next decade and creating more than 7,000 jobs across the business and its supply chain. The site is among the first in the UK to feature KFC's latest restaurant design, including a separate Kwench counter serving drinks such as Krunch Shakes, iced coffees and boba refreshers.
For POS, kitchen display and workforce scheduling vendors, the Kwench counter and driver waiting area are the telling details. New formats mean new equipment, new POS configurations and new workflow requirements. A franchise group expanding from 14 sites toward a larger footprint is a live buying window.
Rudy's confirms Salford opening date
Rudy's Pizza Napoletana will open its first Salford restaurant on Sunday 8 November at 12pm, on Monton Road in the former Bennetts Furnishers building. The site will accommodate more than 120 guests and becomes Rudy's 41st restaurant nationwide. The group's original Ancoats pizzeria opened in Manchester in 2015.
Neal Bates, Managing Director at Rudy's, said: "We're really excited to open Rudy's Monton this November and bring our pizza to Salford for the first time. Monton has a fantastic food and drink scene, and we can't wait to welcome both new guests and familiar faces to the new pizzeria."
The group is accredited by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana and was ranked 23rd globally in the 2025 50 Top Pizza awards. A sold-out pre-opening event will donate proceeds to Salford Foundation, a local charity. For vendors, a 41-site independent group opening in a new city is a smaller but cleaner prospect than a national chain: fewer layers of procurement, faster decisions, and a track record of steady expansion.
Shrimp & Co takes former Turtle Bay in Middlesbrough
Shrimp & Co will open at the former Turtle Bay on Corporation Road in Middlesbrough town centre, Teesside Live reports. The seafood chain already has venues in Leicester, Liverpool, London, Birmingham and Milton Keynes, with further sites planned in Manchester, Glasgow and Leeds. The Middlesbrough opening is expected in November. Turtle Bay closed in March this year after nine years in the town.
The operator change is the vendor angle. A new brand moving into a vacant site means a full technology refit: new POS, new payments, new kitchen systems, new supplier relationships. The chain's stated expansion into three more cities suggests the Middlesbrough opening is not a one-off but part of a rolling programme.
A note on Peach Data
When published benchmarks and news reports run out, verified contact data is what lets vendors act on openings, closures and operator changes before competitors do. Peach Data provides verified, TPS-screened contact data across thousands of UK hospitality venues. peachdata.co.uk
