DoorDash to acquire contactless ordering and payment solutions company Bbot

DoorDash announced Tuesday its intention to acquire startup ordering and payment solutions platform, Bbot.

The deal is expected to be finalized by the end of this quarter and will introduce tableside QR code ordering to DoorDash’s suite of options for restaurant operators, along with other features like the ability for guests to order with one another and add each form of payment to a single tab. These capabilities will also be able to integrate with other loyalty and reservations platforms, as well as handhelds and tablets that restaurants might already be using.

“This is an opportunity for us to build out our first party product solutions,” DoorDash chief revenue officer Tom Pickett told Nation’s Restaurant News. “We’re known for our marketplace, but we’ve test driving out our logistics capabilities for restaurants, like DoorDash Storefront that was offered starting at the beginning of COVID […] Bbot allows us to extend that portfolio into digital ordering and payments in-store, which we think is a growing phenomenon and should continue to expand over the next several years.”

These new additions to DoorDash’s tech stack will ultimately make the front of house and back of house run more smoothly, which is especially useful during this era of labor shortages, Pickett said.

“Waitstaff love [the Bbot capabilities] because they can handle more tables and, in the end, they get more tips,” Pickett said. “For restaurants, that translates into increased overall sales. And for customers, it’s just more convenient and many folks like not having to rely on waitstaff every time they want to do something.”

DoorDash will be integrating Bbot’s tableside ordering and tab integration into its technology suite to it will be easier to adapt both the storefront and digital ordering solution as one package moving forward.

Once the acquisition is finalized, Bbot’s in-store digital ordering solution will be offered for free to DoorDash members through Aug. 31, after which it will cost a $49 monthly subscription fee.

DoorDash’s imminent acquisition of Bbot is just one of many tech mergers and acquisitions that NRN has kept track of over the past year, as technology solutions companies look to add to their tech stacks in a race to create a one-stop-shopping experience for operators.

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