Matt Maloney is the co-founder of GrubHub.com, an online service that allows diners to see all of the restaurants that deliver to their address and place orders for free. Based in Chicago, GrubHub.com has just expanded into the Washington area, providing delivery information for more than 600 restaurants.
How did you and partner Mike Evans get inspired to start Grub Hub?
We were working late hours for Apartments.com, always ordering delivery, but we were tired of the same options. So we did a neighborhood guide of all the restaurant delivery information. It became popular, so we expanded it to all of Chicago. We then moved to San Francisco, Boston, New York, Philly and now D.C.
How do you find all the restaurants in an area that deliver?
We have called every restaurant in the D.C. and Northern Virginia area and asked if they deliver. If they say yes, we find out where, what their fee is and all their information. No one else has collected all the delivery information for every restaurant and provided it in one place.
What is your favorite delivery restaurant in D.C.?
My favorite delivery place would be City Bites. The owner, Steven Brecher, is an example of an independent restaurateur who can’t afford to advertise, especially in this economy, but one that GrubHub can help out by putting him in the system.
How does the D.C. food market compare to other cities?
It’s a great market with a very vibrant restaurant scene. D.C. is very similar to New York City and Chicago because you have a large population who really care about what they eat. There is such a variety of demand, from ethnic to organic to vegetarian. Whenever you have that, you are going to have a pretty good restaurant scene.
-Elinor Flynn
