Waitr Rebrands, Relaunches Under New Name
You might want to check the app store on your phone for updates. Lafayette-based food delivery service Waitr has undergone a major rebranding and will now offer a lot more than just food.
The new brand, ASAP, will still focus on delivering food from local restaurants, but the company has been seeking new ways to be profitable have recent losses, restructuring, and other issues.
“ASAP expresses our new brand identity, building on our original delivery ethos,” CEO and board chair Carl Grimstad said. “The strategies we have implemented have reinforced our ‘anything, anywhere ASAP’ vision, making us the go-to company for a wider range of products and services. And of course, our emphasis on working with businesses to make them more successful will never change.”
The move comes after the company posted a second quarter loss of $11.7 million as due largely to higher gas prices, inflation and competition. The company’s losses were more than double the $5.6 million loss a year ago but down from the $77 million loss reported in the first quarter.
If you have updated the apps on your phone and see that Waitr has been replaced with ASAP, though, don't worry. All your account information carries over. The same appears to hold true for Waitr drivers. The new app for those workers, ASAP: Drive & Deliver, went live on Monday as well.
The expanded vision for the Louisiana-based delivery service will include apparel, luxury goods, sporting goods, alcohol, and other items. They kicked off their expanded services by partnering with 7-Eleven in June. Earlier this month, it announced a partnership with the Superdome to bring food to fans in certain sections of the stadium during Saints games. These initiatives are expected to help revenue in the coming months.
A weakened economic situation across the country, further exacerbated by things like gas price spikes, hurt the company in the most recent quarter.