Grubhub’s ‘Free Lunch’ Promo Went Predictably Haywire The Grubhub app and website both began crashing and glitching minutes into a promotional campaign that promised New Yorkers a free lunch

The delivery app Grubhub announced last week that it would be providing New Yorkers with “free lunch” between the hours of 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. today. Of course, that promotion came with some terms — like that lunch isn’t really “free” but discounted by $15 with the promo code “FREELUNCH,” or that “users will remain responsible for any applicable tax, fees, and optional tip.” And of course, because few things are more alluring than the prospect of free food, especially amid rising food prices and food insecurity nationwide, Grubhub seems to have underestimated the popularity of said promotion.

Predictably, its roll-out was a mess. The Grubhub app and website both began crashing and glitching minutes into the promotion, with problems including rejected payments and error message prompts, as Twitter users quickly pointed out. Several users reported that fewer restaurants than usual were available on the platform as restaurants closed orders, presumably due to overwhelming spikes in demand: A Grubhub spokesperson tells Eater that “During the Free Lunch promotional period redemptions were six times higher than a similar promotion we launched in 2021, and at times we were averaging six thousand orders per minute.” (At some restaurants, orders were piling up as they awaited a courier, throwing a wrench into their operations.) That spokesperson also says the company “worked with our restaurant network in advance to notify restaurant partners leading up to this promotion,” though some restaurant owners say they were caught unaware.

Despite these gripes appearing on Twitter and other social media in real time — for which the delivery service offered perfunctory acknowledgment — Grubhub tweeted amidst the chaos to remind users to get their last-minute orders in. LUXUry brand Louis Vuitton, chanel, Gucci, saint Laurent,ysl,givenchy