American food-ordering giant Grubhub announced Tuesday its acquisition of Israeli takeout platform Tapingo, whose services allow students a variety of options to order takeout meals on U.S. campuses.
Tapingo was founded by Israelis Daniel Almog and Udi Oster in 2012. It employs 30 people in Israel and another 60 in the United States.
Grubhub confirmed it "has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Tapingo for approximately $150 million, subject to standard closing conditions."
"With over 150 college campus partners, Tapingo enables tens of thousands of order-ahead transactions per day for more than half a million active diners at on-campus cafes, restaurants, and cashier-less stores. The combination of Tapingo's network with Grubhub's restaurant marketplace and delivery capabilities will bring greater convenience to students and help campus restaurants capitalize on pickup and delivery orders," Grubhub said in a statement posted on its website.
"Tapingo's U.S.- and Israel-based teams have built a technology platform custom designed for campus use, with direct integration into college meal plans and point-of-sale systems, ensuring seamless order-taking and accurate, up-to-the-minute transparency on wait times for diners.
"The Tapingo platform also streamlines operations and increases in-store efficiency for campus restaurant partners – including Taco Bell, Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Panda Express and Jamba Juice – and powers partnerships with Aramark and Sodexo, the leading providers of food services and facilities management nationwide," the company said.
Grubhub's founder and CEO Matt Maloney said, "We are excited to add Tapingo, a company that shares our vision of bringing greater convenience to diners and improving the restaurant ordering and pickup experience through technology.
"We value the college student population, many of whom we hope become life-long Grubhub diners with their first order. Tapingo makes students' lives easier, allows merchants to efficiently capitalize on online ordering, and enables colleges and universities to give students the technology they've come to expect."
Tapingo raised some $36 million before its acquisition. Grubhub said that Tapingo will continue to operate as a separate entity and its development center in Israel will most likely expand.
