DoorDash buys SevenRooms for $1.2 billion

This episode explores the implications of DoorDash's acquisition of SevenRooms, alongside other major news in the restaurant technology sector, including Uber's stake in a Turkish delivery service and Wonder's significant funding round. The conversation centers on whether DoorDash's move signals a shift towards becoming a comprehensive "super app" for restaurants, offering services from delivery to customer relationship management. Against the backdrop of restaurant owners' mixed feelings about DoorDash's growing influence, the hosts debate whether this acquisition will genuinely benefit restaurants or further consolidate power in the hands of a few major tech players. More significantly, the discussion pivots to the potential for DoorDash to leverage SevenRooms' reservation platform to compete directly with OpenTable and Resy, possibly incentivizing restaurants to prioritize DoorDash's platform through financial incentives. As the discussion evolves, the hosts consider the future role of agentic AI in restaurant reservations, suggesting that direct connections between AI and restaurants could bypass third-party platforms altogether. The episode concludes by underscoring the need for restaurants to navigate this evolving landscape strategically, balancing the benefits of increased visibility with the risks of over-reliance on a single platform, reflecting emerging industry patterns of consolidation and the increasing importance of data ownership.