Food Runner archive

ChatGPT could be taking your customers’ orders soon.

OpenAI recently announced that it will be partnering with DoorDash and Uber Eats, which will allow users to order food directly through the chatbot.

Here’s how it works: Users connect their DoorDash or Uber Eats accounts to ChatGPT. After that, they can call them up by name—like, “Hey Chat, open Uber Eats”—or the chatbot will suggest one if it senses you’re getting hungry.

From there, ChatGPT confirms your delivery address, shows nearby restaurants and menus, and helps you narrow down what you want. When you’re ready to order, it hands things off to the app to finish the checkout.

It’s convenient. But it also raises some big questions for restaurants:

🤖 Platform dynamics
– Who gets surfaced first when someone says, “I want tacos”?
– Will restaurants be able to pay for better AI placement down the line?
– Can operators opt out of being listed or recommended?

🔐 Data ownership
– What customer data will be shared between OpenAI and the delivery apps?
– Will order history or spending habits be used to train future models?
– Can customers limit or delete that data?

⚙️ Operations & reliability
– What happens when the chatbot misinterprets what you want?
– Who’s responsible if you’re accidentally recommended an item with an allergen?
– Will chains with cleaner menus, photos, and data get prioritized over independents?

Regardless, AI is about to join the delivery crew.

What makes a restaurant great?

The New York Times dropped its list of the 50 Best Restaurants in America. Food reporters Priya Krishna and Brett Anderson broke down what it takes to build a list like this—which often includes eating two dinners and two lunches in one day… and what truly makes a restaurant list-worthy, on The Daily podcast.

Here are a few standout thoughts on the impact of atmosphere:

Brett: “The food is paramount. It can overcome everything, including a boring space. But I think about where I’m gonna eat when I’m not on the job. I think about two things: How much do I wanna spend? And where do I wanna be […] And so in that regard, I think space really does matter. And I think that I really care about restaurants where it looks like there’s some craft that has been devoted to transforming whatever that space is into a place to dine.”

Priya: “We live in an era now of the multi-million dollar restaurant with the design budget, where everything is branded, where the cocktails come with ice imprinted with the restaurant logo. That’s all nice, but that’s not what we mean when we say atmosphere. It’s like a place you want to be, a place where you feel welcomed, a place that has a really distinctive style, that’s not trying to follow trends… Some of the restaurants I felt most charmed by were sort of the scrappy restaurants––the restaurants with this DIY attitude and spirit that were just kind of making it work.”

You don’t have time for pointless articles videos. These aren’t those.

💻 The tech stack that top restaurants use
From AI-driven scheduling to smarter POS systems—Sam Fung explains how the industry’s best save time, cut costs, and stay ahead of the competition.

💊 How this pharmacist opened 3 restaurants
Peter from Sundays Pasta Lab shares how he turned his pharmacy background into one of Toronto’s buzziest pasta spots—plus why the shape of your pasta can make or break a dish.