Grubhub is losing its second CEO in less than 2 years as owner explores sale of company

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Grubhub is losing its second CEO in less than 2 years as owner explores sale of company
Two CEOs have left Grubhub in two years. The latest is Adam DeWitt, a longtime Grubhub leader.Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
  • Grubhub was the online food-ordering leader for years.
  • A year after Just Eat Takeaway.com bought Grubhub, the European firm said it wanted to sell it.
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Adam DeWitt, chief executive of Grubhub, is stepping down as CEO of the nation's No. 3 delivery operator, the company's European owner, Just Eat Takeaway.com, announced Monday.

DeWitt ran Grubhub alongside co-founder and former CEO Matt Maloney for years during its heyday. DeWitt served as the company's chief financial officer until he became CEO in June 2021, when JET completed its acquisition of Grubhub.

DeWitt will remain with the company through May 1. Howard Migdal, the CEO of JET's Canadian subsidiary SkipTheDishes, is replacing DeWitt. Migdal was named executive vice president of North America and CEO of Grubhub.

DeWitt's exit comes nearly a year after JET announced plans to unload Grubhub from its portfolio after owning it for less than 12 months. JET said in April 2022 that it was "actively exploring the introduction of a strategic partner into and/or the partial or full sale of Grubhub."

"It's hard to leave Grubhub, but it's the right time for me after 11 years," DeWitt said in a statement. "I am incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished and will forever value the relationships I've forged here. Grubhub is in great hands with Howard and the Grubhub leadership team, and I'm excited to watch the company continue to thrive."

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Over the years, Grubhub has struggled to find its footing in the hyper-competitive food delivery sector.

A pioneer in the online food ordering business, Grubhub was once the country's No. 1 food delivery operator. In January 2018, Grubhub had 49% of the food delivery market, according to Bloomberg Second Measure. A year later, DoorDash surpassed Grubhub and never looked back.

DoorDash has remained on top by deploying a strategy of outspending rivals, deploying superior technology, and securing dominance in the suburbs. The latter playbook proved serendipitous for DoorDash – and bad for city-centric Grubhub – when people fled metro areas during initial lockdown orders at the onset of the pandemic in 2020.

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