The IT Nerd

Super Bowl LV may look a little different this year but one thing we can count on—the snacks. SkipTheDishes is delivering from your favourite Toronto restaurants, going beyond the endzone and right to your door for the big game this Sunday.

To kick-off the celebration, SkipTheDishes tackled the data on Toronto-area ordering trends for last year’s Super Bowl. The huddle is real on these numbers:

• There was an almost 15% increase in Toronto orders during Super Bowl 2020 compared to the week before…looks like Torontonians were in total feast mode for the game!
• When we stack up the numbers on total burgers vs. wings ordered across the Skip network, it’s a dead heat—at just over 11,000 orders for each, this one is too close to call. We’ll leave it up to a coin toss for who wins this one! 
• For game-day favourites, some of the most popular nacho orders across Canada included nachos grande, chili cheese and an honourable mention for nachos fries, while the MVP of wing flavours was the always-classic hot wings
• Torontonians were wide-open for deliveries at game time with 64% of orders placed on Superbowl Sunday happening during the game! 

• Toronto’s top three items during last year’s game were:
  • Chicken burgers
  • Wings
  • Chicken nuggets

Will this year’s deliveries break 2020’s record of kilometres travelled, or yards gained, for 2021 orders? SkipTheDishes be watching the data to find out!

To make this year’s game extra special, you’ll see SkipTheDishes on your TV’s throughout the pregame and throughout the game with their new Jon Hamm spot going live during the game.

And throughout COVID-19, SkipTheDishes has been hungry to help—that’s why they have given over $43 million million back to their restaurant partners and communities through commission rebates and order-driving initiatives across the country since March 2020. 

SkipTheDishes, Canada’s largest and most popular food delivery network, is excited to announce its partnership with LCBO. Launching today, and starting with 15 stores in Toronto, SkipTheDishes will begin on-demand delivery directly to customers.

Through the SkipTheDishes app or website, customers can conveniently order from over 300 best-selling wine, beer and spirits, including a selection of local products. Additionally, customers will be able to order gift bags, boxes, ice and more for delivery from their local LCBO through SkipTheDishes.

Skip drivers in Toronto are Smart Serve-certified to responsibly deliver alcohol to customers ages 19 and over and will strictly follow the AGCO’s guidelines pertaining to the sale and provision of alcohol products, ensuring that the sale of alcohol to minors , intoxicated adults, and those who appear to be purchasing alcohol for either of those individuals is prevented. If a delivery recipient fails to produce valid ID, appears to be intoxicated, or attempts to purchase for a minor or impaired individual, the delivery will be cancelled.

On-demand LCBO delivery service is available exclusively through SkipTheDishes Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 1 hour prior to store closure. Customers can check delivery zones on SkipTheDishes app or website.

SkipTheDishes has released their end of year report, looking at the ordering trends of Ontarians and Canadians alike.

In 2020, the top three items ordered through SkipTheDishes in Ontario were Asian dishes, burgers and pizza. And the most popular cuisines were American/Canadian (Scarborough), Italian (Niagara Falls) and Chinese (Sudbury).

October 9, 2020 a Toronto resident ordered the most expensive order recorded in Ontario coming in at a whopping $779.90! That order included 30 salads, 12 orders of pad thai and 10 orders of red curry!

Ontarians capitalized on the addition of convenience items on the Skip network in 2020. Their most ordered items were slushies, taquitos and fountain drinks. But while some munched on sugary treats, others chose more specific dishes as Ontario ranked first for the province with the most orders of halal food (followed by Quebec and the Maritimes), second for kosher food (behind Alberta and followed by Saskatchewan) and third for organic food (behind B.C. and Alberta).

Ontario trends include:

• 743 is the number of orders placed by the most frequent orderer in Ontario
• The fastest growing segment of new users were those above the age of 65
• Late night orders grew by 38%
• Canadians are more willing to try something new as roughly half of users who open the app don’t know what they’re going to order
• And 81% of customers have ordered from a restaurant that they have never been to in person
• Patio season has its limits, and that limit for most Canadians is 12ºC

To see Skip’s full report, click HERE.

The City of Markham is proud to announce an exciting partnership with SkipTheDishes to help local restaurants weather the second wave of COVID-19 during the holiday season.

From December 2, 2020 to January 2, 2021, restaurants that join SkipTheDishes will pay 0% commission for the first 30 days. In addition, as a way to stimulate consumer demand and generate more orders for local Markham restaurants, SkipTheDishes is offering Markham diners free delivery on every order over $20 that is placed through the app during this one-month promotional period.

By using SkipTheDishes during the crucial holiday season, Markham restaurants will be able to increase sales and find new customers while providing more work opportunities for independently-contracted couriers. The community will be rewarded with $0 delivery fees for supporting local and for doing their part to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by limiting their exposure to those outside of their households.
  
Since March, SkipTheDishes has supported their restaurant partners by reducing fees and giving back tens of millions of dollars directly to local restaurants. By innovating and differentiating their network and working with partners across Ontario, SkipTheDishes continues to find new ways to engage customers while enabling them to stay safe at home.
 
This partnership with SkipTheDishes is the latest initiative offered by the City of Markham to help local businesses through the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about this partnership and how to participate, visit markham.ca/msbc.
 
Diners can access SkipTheDishes at skipthedishes.com or by downloading the mobile app on the Apple Store or Google Play.

I just received a statement from Kevin Edwards, CEO of SkipTheDishes about the Ontario Government’s efforts to put a cap on commissions that food delivery services can earn. Here’s the statement in full:

While we are glad the Ontario government recognizes the work SkipTheDishes has been doing since March to support our restaurant partners, we are disappointed that they have decided to regulate private enterprise by enforcing a commission cap on food delivery services operating in the province. 

Our restaurant partners are of the utmost importance to us. SkipTheDishes is a proud Canadian brand, and since the start of the pandemic we’ve worked tirelessly beside our restaurant partners and have proactively provided them with over $30 million dollars in industry leading support since March, months before being called upon by Premier Ford or Mayor Tory to do so.

When taking into account the 25% commission rebate we have implemented in affected regions of the province, all local, independent restaurant partners on the SkipTheDishes platform are already paying less than 20% in commission while their dining rooms are closed.

Since the start of the pandemic, SkipTheDishes has provided industry-leading support, which includes:

• 25% commission rebate to our local, independent restaurant partners to help when they need it most
• 0% commission rate for new restaurants joining the network during the lockdown period
• 10% commission rate to any restaurant on Skip looking to utilize staff to facilitate their own delivery, connecting over 30,000 restaurants with millions of customers across the country
• Additional marketing and order-driving initiatives to drive repeat orders and attract new customers for our restaurant partners, increasing incremental revenue
• Streamlining our restaurant onboarding process, so that new partners join the network 40% faster
• The continuation of our restaurant tipping initiative, which has seen over $1.2 million in generous donations from Skip customers go directly to local restaurants

We have been working directly with all levels of government in Ontario over the last few months on ways we can work together to best support the restaurant industry, and look forward to continuing those discussions over the next few weeks. 

After a successful in-person launch, Kevin Smith’s first Canadian pop-up of Mooby’s is making their full menu available for delivery exclusively through SkipTheDishes starting this Thursday, November 26! 

The socially distanced pop-up has been wildly popular since opening – they’ve even added additional pickup time slots to accommodate fans! And now, Mooby’s, the fictional fast-food chain featured in cult classics including Dogma, Clerks II and the Jay and Silent Bob franchise, will be delivering to areas in Etobicoke, Downtown Toronto, Hamilton, Newmarket and other areas of the GTA.

The menu will feature a variety of beef and vegan options including fan favourites from the franchise, including the Cow Tipper and Hater Totz. Kevin Smith and the Kitchen Hub team have also collaborated to bring some menu items with Canadian flare. These delicious meals will be cooked by Toronto’s popular upscale barbecue restaurant, The Carbon Bar. 

This afternoon, I got a message from SkipTheDishes in relation to supporting Peel Region restaurants. Here’s the message in full:

As a proudly Canadian brand, we’re standing by our restaurant partners across the city as their dining rooms are required to close, responding to their needs with an impactful support package for affected restaurants that includes:

• A 25% rebate on commission for local, independent restaurant partners
• 0% commission rate for any new restaurants joining the network during the restriction period
• 10% commission rate to any restaurant looking to utilize staff to facilitate their own delivery
• Additional marketing and order-driving initiatives that can both increase repeat orders and attract new customers, like the launch of Skip Rewards
• The continuation of Skip’s restaurant tipping initiative, which has seen over $1 million in generous donations from customers go directly to local restaurants

This support package will be rolled out to affected partners across the Peel Region on Monday, November 23, 2020 when the new restrictions take place and SkipTheDishes is prepared to action similar measures across the country as further restrictions are announced. Skip has also continued its support for Toronto and Quebec restaurants on the network as restrictions continue in those regions. 

“The restaurant community is at the heart and soul of communities across Quebec. We’ve seen the effects that these closures have had on our restaurant partners and we are working tirelessly to support them as they adapt their businesses to keep their kitchens open,” says Kevin Edwards, CEO, SkipTheDishes. 

“With pickup and delivery orders becoming a critical revenue stream for restaurants, Skip stands with our local partners throughout this new wave of restrictions.

Since the start of the pandemic, SkipTheDishes has worked alongside our restaurant partners to proactively offer impactful support, as they continue to navigate the effects of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry. To date, we have provided over $30 million to our restaurant partners in commission rebates and order-driving initiatives.

SkipTheDishes, Canada’s largest and most popular food delivery network, is excited to announce its partnership with Wine Rack, Ontario’s leading chain of wine boutiques. Launching October 29, Skip will begin delivering alcohol directly to customers from 34 stores in Toronto, and over 100 stores across Ontario shortly after launch.

Through the SkipTheDishes app or website, customers will be able to conveniently order over 100 different wines and refreshment options from Wine Rack, including well-known brands such as Jackson-Triggs, Inniskilin, OPEN, Bodacious, Naked Grape, Growers Cider, Cartier and many more.

With the holiday season being one the busiest times of the year, this partnership conveniently helps customers social distance, avoid long line ups and shop their favourite local wines and refreshments from the comfort of home. 

In addition to Wine Rack’s wide selection of quality wine, ciders and liqueurs that can be enjoyed responsibly, they offer great gifting options for any occasion. Gift baskets and more will also be available for delivery through Skip, just in time for the holiday season. 

SkipTheDishes, Canada’s largest online food delivery network, announces initiatives to support their restaurant partners through new waves of restrictions as provinces begin to implement new measures to manage the pandemic’s second wave. 

As the Canadian leader in online food delivery, Skip is responding to the needs of its partners to develop an impactful support package for affected restaurants in regions experiencing restaurant closures that includes:

• A 25% rebate on commission for local, independent restaurant partners 
• 0% commission rate for any new restaurants joining the network during the restriction period
• Additional marketing and order-driving initiatives that can both increase repeat orders and attract new customers, like the launch of Skip Rewards 
• The continuation of Skip’s restaurant tipping initiative, which has seen over $1 million in generous donations from customers go directly to local restaurants 
• App functionality that allows partners to diversify their menu offerings, increasing orders and revenue

Skip has already launched this support package for affected areas in both Ontario and Quebec last week, and is ready to action similar support across the country as provincial government restrictions of restaurants are announced. 

Since the start of the pandemic, Skip has worked alongside its restaurant partners to proactively provide impactful support as they continue to navigate the continued effects of COVID-19 on the industry. To date, Skip has provided $24 million to its restaurant partners in commission rebates and order-driving initiatives.

SkipTheDishes, Canada’s largest and most popular food delivery network, is excited to announce its new loyalty program, Skip Rewards. This style of loyalty program is an industry first, reinforcing Skip’s innovative leadership in the food delivery space.

With absolutely no cost to participate and no sign up required, Skip users will begin earning points on each and every order starting early October. Skip’s focus remains providing the best value to their customers by never charging added services fees, and with Skip Rewards, they’re evolving their offerings and elevating the customer experience.

Points are earned on every dollar spent through Skip from any of its 27,000 partners across the country. Points can be redeemed for discounts on future orders, which means Skip users can earn rewards at any time of the day for:

• Getting a morning cup of coffee delivered from Tim Hortons®
• Settling the boneless debate between chicken pop-ins and chicken wings at Mary Brown’s for lunch
• Indulging in a bottle of wine and sushi from Earls Kitchen + Bar for a romantic night-in, or wings and a couple of beers from St. Louis Bar & Grill while watching the big game
• A late-night order of Slurpees and taquitos from 7-Eleven

Skip Rewards is accessible to customers Canada-wide and will launch with two tiers of earning:

• Orange Status – All users start here at launch, earning five points for every dollar spent.
• Gold Status – After ordering twice in one month, users level up to Gold Status and begin earning ten points for every dollar spent.

With a simple redemption structure, Skip Rewards gives users points for doing what they love: ordering their favourites and having it delivered conveniently and safely right to their door.