• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises

1

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 

2

Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics

3

The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Techdelivery apps

Grubhub sparks chaos after its offer of a free lunch for the whole of New York City crashes the system and leaves countless customers hungry

By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Chloe Taylor
Chloe Taylor
Down Arrow Button Icon
May 18, 2022, 6:13 AM ET
A GrubHub delivery driver on a scooter passes Times Square in New York City on December 29, 2021.
Grubhub received thousands of complaints on May 17 after its free lunch promotion overwhelmed New York restaurants. Tayfun Coskun—Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Grubhub has countless hungry New Yorkers to answer to after its ambitious ploy to give the city a free lunch backfired.

The delivery app launched a promotion on Tuesday offering users in New York City a free lunch up to the value of $15 between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

However, the surge in demand left restaurants overwhelmed, with the app reportedly receiving thousands of orders per minute, meaning countless orders were delivered hours late or never arrived at all.

Grubhub told BuzzFeed News that it had been averaging 6,000 orders a minute during the three-hour window.

New Yorkers went as hard for free lunch as the Rangers did in game 7.

Our restaurants and drivers are still working hard fulfilling your orders. Make sure to show them love today (and every day). 🍕🧡

— Grubhub (@Grubhub) May 17, 2022

Furious customers took to social media to vent their frustration, with many saying their food was never delivered or arrived hours after they placed their order. Others said they couldn’t access the promotion because inundated eateries had switched off their service on the platform.

https://twitter.com/CatBarone/status/1526669103242551301

Y'all cannot handle this load lol don't do this again. I ordered at 12:40, food was supposed to be here between 1:20 – 1:30. It's 2:50 and I've been hung up on (twice) by customer service and chat is unresponsive. I didn't even know this was a thing today..

— Di (@magnanigram) May 17, 2022

My food never arrived after 5 hours of waiting for the delivery. And I’m unable to get in contact with your customer support team. How do I get a coupon for a free meal OR a full refund??? @Grubhub_Care

— ShaVonne (@shavonnehiggy) May 17, 2022

A spokesperson for Grubhub told Fortune on Wednesday that during the promotion, there had been “an initial, temporary backlog due to an abundance of preorders and overwhelming demand at the beginning,” but the company said the issue was quickly fixed. 

“To help businesses prepare for yesterday’s promotion, we gave advance notice to all restaurants in our network, which included multiple forms of communication,” the spokesperson said. “Additionally, we increased driver incentives to help support demand.”

Grubhub told Fortune that more than 450,000 orders connected to the promotion were fulfilled on Tuesday.

“While, unfortunately, some restaurants did experience a strain—which we will continue to optimize to help mitigate in the future—thousands of restaurants benefited from this lunchtime boost,” the spokesperson said.

However, claims have been swirling that Grubhub failed to tell food outlets about the promo in advance, and that there were not enough delivery drivers on the road to pick up the orders.

A manager at Ukrainian restaurant Veselka in New York’s East Village told the Daily Mail that Grubhub didn’t give them a heads-up about the promotion.

“We could have tried to plan accordingly,” the manager said. “We had the orders ready to go but there were not enough delivery drivers.”

As calls from frustrated customers began to pile up, Veselka stopped taking orders from the app.

Other restaurants across the city told BuzzFeed that they weren’t made aware of the promotion before it started.

Restaurant workers also took to Twitter to explain how they were so swamped it was difficult for them to meet the demand generated by Grubhub’s marketing campaign.

One user, who claimed to be working front of house at a Brooklyn restaurant, said his workplace had more than 30 cold orders waiting to be picked up, adding that “our phones are off the hook with angry customers.”

Another, who said she was the manager of a lunch spot in Manhattan, said her restaurant had been forced to turn off ordering through the app because “Grubhub did not have enough drivers on the road to handle the volume of orders.”

Hey everyone, I am the General Manager of a popular lunch spot in Manhattan. GrubHub did not have enough drivers on the road today to handle the volume of orders. We had to turn off our GH ordering because no one was coming to take the deliveries to the customers.

— Kismet (@KismetCorndog) May 17, 2022

Despite those claims, Grubhub said in a tweet that it had given restaurants warning that the promo was going ahead and its delivery drivers received “increased incentives” to work during the three-hour slot.

As a food delivery marketplace, we are dedicated to the success of our restaurants & drivers.

To help businesses prepare for today's promotion, we provided advance notice to our restaurant network. Additionally, given the anticipated demand, we increased driver incentives. (1/2)

— Grubhub (@Grubhub) May 18, 2022

Sign up for the Fortune Features email list so you don’t miss our biggest features, exclusive interviews, and investigations.
About the Author
By Chloe Taylor
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Big TechSpaceX
Elon Musk’s proposed pay package in SpaceX’s IPO filing reveals what the company actually is: a $1 trillion monster built to colonize Mars
By Eva RoytburgMay 20, 2026
1 hour ago
elon
SuccessIPOs
SpaceX IPO targets $28.5 trillion total addressable market, mission to ‘make life multiplanetary’ and understand ‘true nature of the universe’
By Nick LichtenbergMay 20, 2026
3 hours ago
Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia
AINvidia
Nvidia tells skeptical investors that AI is ready to go mainstream
By Ian King and BloombergMay 20, 2026
3 hours ago
SpaceX finally files IPO prospectus, reveals revenue is up–but losses are too
Big TechSpaceX
SpaceX finally files IPO prospectus, reveals revenue is up–but losses are too
By Allie Garfinkle and Alexei OreskovicMay 20, 2026
4 hours ago
Elon Musk sits with his fists together, looking up.
Commentaryspace
SpaceX will be worth trillions, but the space station that made it possible is worth even more — if we don’t squander it
By Tejpaul BhatiaMay 20, 2026
4 hours ago
Antler CEO Magnus Grimeland says Silicon Valley doesn’t have a monopoly on tech: ‘People can innovate from almost anywhere’
AsiaAsia Agenda
Antler CEO Magnus Grimeland says Silicon Valley doesn’t have a monopoly on tech: ‘People can innovate from almost anywhere’
By Angelica AngMay 20, 2026
4 hours ago

Most Popular

Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
Workplace Culture
Bolt CEO says he let go of his entire HR team for creating problems that didn’t exist: ‘Those problems disappeared when I let them go’ 
By Preston ForeMay 19, 2026
1 day ago
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
Future of Work
Meet a 21-year-old community college student who's going to China as the first American woman welder in the trades Olympics
By Mike Householder and The Associated PressMay 17, 2026
3 days ago
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
Politics
The Bezos family just donated $100 million to help achieve one of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s top campaign promises
By Jake AngeloMay 12, 2026
8 days ago
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
Success
Despite a $500 million net worth, Shaq just finished his fourth degree. He warns graduates: 'Your character will take you further than your resume'
By Preston ForeMay 20, 2026
10 hours ago
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
Travel & Leisure
Spirit Airlines apologizes to all the Americans who can't afford any summer vacation flights as it shuts down
By Rio Yamat and The Associated PressMay 18, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 19, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 19, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.