In today’s restaurant and grocery tech news, Target’s digital investments have led to growth in food and beverage, as Google moved to replace Instacart as the grocery aggregator of choice. Plus, the president of Toast explains why ghost kitchens may not be the future of restaurants.

Digital drives huge gains in target grocery sales

With its e-commerce activity, Target quickly became a major player in the grocery store. Discussing its third quarter 2021 financial results on Wednesday (November 17), the retailer reported comparable sales growth in the food and beverage category in the teenage percentage range, in addition to the growth in their mid-thirties. in the third quarter of 2020, partly attributing this growth to the success of its digital investments.

Google Maps aims to supplant Instacart with Grocery Aggregator functionality

Google Maps becomes a grocery aggregator. On Tuesday, November 16, the company announced in a blog post that after an initial test in Portland, Ore., In the spring, Google has now rolled out pickup features to more than 2,000 grocery stores in 30 states.

Toast president says ghost kitchens are no substitute for on-site dining experience

“Restaurants are timeless, and the jobs restaurants do for us – whether it’s date nights or after-work drinks with friends or birthdays and so on. – these are all things that don’t go away, ”Steve Fredette, president and co-founder of Toast, tells PYMNTS in an interview.