Delivery apps now reward customers for dining in. Grubhub's The Drop gives diners app credit after they claim an offer and pay with a linked card. Before joining any program like it, get the cost and controls in writing, compare the per-visit cost with what a new guest is worth, run a time-boxed test, and track redemptions, check size, and return visits.
What Grubhub's The Drop actually does
Nation's Restaurant News reported on September 29, 2026, that Grubhub is launching The Drop, a weekly program that gives customers Grubhub credit when they dine at a rotating group of restaurants. The report calls it Grubhub's first move into in-person dining and notes that DoorDash and Uber Eats already offer similar dine-in rewards that give customers credit to spend later.
The mechanics are simple for the guest. Every Thursday, customers get up to three personalized offers from nearby restaurants in the Grubhub app. They claim one, eat at that restaurant, and pay with a card linked to their Grubhub account. In Grubhub's example, an offer might be $5 off a $20 purchase, with the $5 landing in the customer's Grubhub account for future orders.
The launch is limited. Select customers in New York City and Chicago get the first offers, and the program is expected to reach all Grubhub users in those markets after several weeks. Early participants named in the report include Tacombi, Juice Generation, Chopt Creative Salad Co., Dig Inn, Dos Toros, Momoya, 7th Street Burger, and Pokeworks.
- Offers arrive weekly, up to three per customer, from nearby restaurants.
- Redemption is tied to a linked payment card, not a printed coupon.
- The reward is paid as app credit for future Grubhub orders.
- The first rollout covers New York City and Chicago only.
Get the cost and the controls in writing first
Grubhub declined to give specifics on how the program's economics work, according to the report. What it did say is that restaurants pay only when a diner walks in and spends, with no upfront costs or fees to participate. That is helpful, but it does not tell you what each visit will cost.
Some context comes from Restaurant Business, which reported in January 2026 that Wonder, Grubhub's owner, had acquired the cash-back rewards app Claim. At that time, the plan described restaurants opting in and being charged a portion of each redeemed reward. NRN reports that The Drop is the first time Grubhub is using Claim's technology in a consumer-facing product. Treat the January description as background, and ask for The Drop's current terms directly before you agree to anything.
- Who funds the reward, and what exactly is your share per redemption?
- Is there a minimum spend, and does tax or tip count toward it?
- Can you cap the number of redemptions per week or set a monthly budget?
- Can you choose the days and hours your offer appears?
- How quickly can you pause or leave the program?
- What reporting will you receive, and does it separate first-time guests from people who already visit?
Price a new dine-in guest before you price the offer
A pay-per-visit reward only makes sense if the visit is worth more to you than it costs. Start with your own numbers from the point-of-sale system: average dine-in check, food and beverage cost on a typical order, and any card or program fees. The difference is what one visit actually contributes before rent and labor.
Use Grubhub's own example as a quick stress test. A $5 reward on a $20 purchase equals 25 percent of that check. If your restaurant funds any part of a reward that size, compare your share with the contribution from a single visit. If one visit loses money, the program only works when enough of those guests come back without a reward, so the return visit becomes the number that matters.
- Contribution per visit = average check minus cost of goods and fees.
- Cost per redemption = your share of the reward plus any program charge.
- Break-even return visits = cost per redemption divided by contribution per full-price visit.
- Compare that cost with what you already spend to bring in a new guest through other channels.
Point the offer at seats you can fill
A reward that brings guests in during your busiest hours can slow service for people who would have paid full price. If the program lets you choose timing, aim offers at dayparts with open seats and a kitchen that can absorb more orders, such as an early weekday dinner or a slow afternoon.
Think about the menu, too. A reward is easier to afford when the guest's order naturally includes items with healthy margins, such as a drink or a side. Make sure your listing on the app shows current hours, prices, and dishes so a guest who walks in finds the restaurant they expected.
- Pick the hours with the most empty seats, not the ones you most want to grow.
- Check that your app listing matches today's menu, prices, and hours.
- Decide in advance what volume would strain the kitchen or floor.
Prepare the room, because staff may not know who came from the app
Because redemption runs through a card linked to the guest's Grubhub account, your team may never see a coupon or code at the table. Restaurant Business described the original Claim model the same way: cash back arrives automatically after the visit, with no need to scan the app or enter a code at purchase.
That has a practical effect. You cannot rely on giving reward guests special treatment, so the first impression has to be strong for everyone during the test. Brief your team on the hours you chose, keep the wait and ticket times in line with a normal service, and treat the test window as a regular shift that happens to have more first-time guests.
Notice where the next visit is pointed
In Grubhub's example, the reward becomes Grubhub credit for future orders. Grubhub says The Drop is designed to help drive repeat orders for restaurants through both delivery and dine-in, but the credit itself lives in the app, and the guest may spend it at a different restaurant.
If you want the guest to return to you directly, give them a reason during the first visit. A loyalty sign-up at the register, a simple invitation to an upcoming event, or a next-visit offer for your own channels can all help, as long as guests choose to join and you follow the permission rules that apply to your email and text messages.
- Offer an easy, optional way to hear from you directly.
- Make the second-visit reason specific, such as a new dish or a weekly event.
- Track how many test-window guests join your own list.
Run a time-boxed test and measure the return visit
Set a fixed test window and a budget before you start, and write down what success looks like. Compare the test period with a similar stretch of recent weeks, keeping in mind that weather, holidays, and local events can move traffic on their own. A rise in covers during the test does not prove the program caused it.
The most important number arrives after the offer ends. If the program's reports or your own loyalty data can identify returning guests, check how many reward guests came back at full price within the next several weeks. If the platform cannot tell you whether redeemers were new or existing guests, factor that blind spot into your decision.
- Redemptions per week and total cost of the program.
- Average check of reward visits compared with your normal dine-in check.
- Share of redeemers who were new to the restaurant, if reported.
- Return visits at full price after the test ends.
- Service signals during the test: ticket times, wait times, and guest feedback.
- A stop rule: the cost or service level that ends the test early.
Submit a restaurant or local business.
Share the business details, useful links, and what makes the place worth knowing for possible Restaurant Tech Report coverage.
FAQ
What is Grubhub's The Drop?
According to Nation's Restaurant News, The Drop is a weekly Grubhub program that sends customers up to three personalized offers from nearby restaurants. A customer claims one, dines at the restaurant, pays with a card linked to their Grubhub account, and receives Grubhub credit for future orders.
Do restaurants pay to join The Drop?
Grubhub told NRN there are no upfront costs or fees, and restaurants pay only when a diner walks in and spends. Grubhub did not share specific economics, so ask for written terms covering your share of each reward before opting in.
Where is The Drop available?
The launch began on a limited basis with select customers in New York City and Chicago, with plans to roll out to all Grubhub users in those markets after several weeks.
How can a restaurant tell whether a dine-in reward brought new guests?
Ask whether the platform reports first-time versus returning guests, compare the test window with similar recent weeks, and track how many reward guests return at full price after the test ends. This article is educational and is not financial or legal advice.