Meal-delivery companies are the ultimate symbol of the most powerful force in business today: convenience maximalism. But it comes with ethical, ecological, and economic costs.

Key findings

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In 2015, for the first time on record, Americans spent more money at restaurants than at grocery stores.

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In 2020, more than half of restaurant spending is projected to be “off premise”—not inside a restaurant. In other words, spending on deliveries, drive-throughs, and takeaway meals will soon overtake dining inside restaurants, for the first time on record.

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According to the analytics company Second Measure, meal-delivery sales to the four largest apps—DoorDash, Grubhub (which owns Seamless), Uber Eats, and Postmates—have tripled since 2016.

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