Dive Brief:
- Grubhub is incentivizing premium subscription sign-ups with a monthlong activation that centers around deals and savings, according to a press release.
- Created in partnership with Anomaly, “Gold Digging Season” follows Gary, a normal guy with a Grubhub+ subscription, making him the envy of his neighborhood. The campaign is set to run across TV, audio, social and digital video channels.
- Central to the effort is a monthlong promotion inviting consumers to sign up for the service for $0.99 a month, rather than the regular $9.99. Members will have access to exclusive deals to select restaurants as well as deals around meal kit services and groceries that show off the app’s use cases beyond food delivery.
Dive Insight:
Grubhub is combining the desire for value with the allure of exclusivity as its parent company, Wonder, continues efforts to create a “super app” for meal and food services. As the Grubhub brand struggles with market share, it is hoping to build a solid foundation of premium users with deal-forward marketing.
Materials for “Gold Digging Season” position Grubhub+ as providing a VIP-like experience that sets users apart. The setting for a video ad is a suburban neighborhood that is reminiscent of the ‘80s and ‘90s while invoking a sitcom-esque atmosphere as his neighbors turn into gold diggers who want to share in Gary’s Gold Days deals.
Between May 1-31, Grubhub+ users will have access to deals, such as money off or free food, at a rotation of restaurants, including McDonald’s, Chipotle, Wing Stop and more. Outside of food delivery, premium subscribers will have access to $50 off $100 or more grocery delivery orders on Saturdays and Sundays during the month. The brand’s grocery delivery service is handled by Instacart, which Grubhub partnered with in 2025 to expand its delivery options. Additionally, select consumers will have access to a promotion for Blue Apron, a meal kit service acquired by Wonder for $103 million in 2023.
Over half, 55%, of Americans plan on cutting subscriptions in order to save money in 2026. Despite ongoing economic uncertainty, food delivery apps remain popular. “Gold Digging Season,” is meant to entice users to upgrade from the base service to the premium offering, despite efforts by consumers to reduce recurring monthly costs.
Wonder completed its acquisition of Grubhub in January 2025, purchasing the delivery company for $650 million from Just Eat Takeaway.com, which initially purchased Grubhub in 2021 for $7.3 billion. A few months later, Wonder purchased the media company Tastemade.
Since the acquisition, Grubhub’s marketing efforts have largely focused on value. For its Super Bowl debut earlier this year, the delivery service aired an ad featuring George Clooney to promote an offer removing delivery and service fees on orders over $50.
