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55-559: Maplebear Inc. , doing business as Instacart , is an American delivery company based in San Francisco that operates a grocery delivery and pick-up service in the United States and Canada accessible via a website and mobile app . It allows customers to order groceries from participating retailers with the shopping being done by a personal shopper . The company also provides alcohol delivery in states and provinces where it

110-621: A software bug . In addition, customers were often charged for service fees that were supposed to be waived. In November and December 2018, Instacart again changed its pay system for its personal shoppers; shoppers claimed this pay system resulted in substantially lower pay and boycotted. Instacart customers complained on social media that their orders were being delayed. In February 2019, an online organizing campaign, including shoppers, provided examples of payments to shoppers as low as $ 0.80 per delivery. The company announced that it would revise its pay system and give back pay to some workers. Under

165-434: A trade union . Instacart said it "will honor" the vote, pending certification of the results. In the lead-up to the election, high-level Instacart managers distributed anti-union literature at a Skokie grocery store where some of the unionizing workers picked up groceries for delivery. At the time, about 12,000 of Instacart's 142,000 workers were employees with the option of unionizing. From mid-March to mid-April 2020, during

220-420: A DBA must be registered with a local or state government, or both, depending on the jurisdiction. For example, California, Texas and Virginia require a DBA to be registered with each county (or independent city in the case of Virginia) where the owner does business. Maryland and Colorado have DBAs registered with a state agency. Virginia also requires corporations and LLCs to file a copy of their registration with

275-467: A DBA statement, though names including the first and last name of the owner may be accepted. This also reduces the possibility of two local businesses operating under the same name, although some jurisdictions do not provide exclusivity for a name, or may allow more than one party to register the same name. Note, though, that this is not a substitute for filing a trademark application. A DBA filing carries no legal weight in establishing trademark rights. In

330-577: A Systems Engineer from 2004 to 2006, before being promoted to Director of Client Services from 2006 to 2010. In 2010, Mullen ventured into entrepreneurship by founding Volly, a startup that allowed users to collaborate with friends to make group decisions. Following Volly, Max worked as a Product Manager at Location Labs (now part of Avast ) from 2011 to 2012. Max is known for his customer-centric approach to business. He focused on customers from day one and advocates for learning from customer feedback to drive product development. One of Max's notable contribution

385-516: A businessperson writes a trade name on a contract, invoice, or cheque, they must also add the legal name of the business. Numbered companies will very often operate as something other than their legal name, which is unrecognizable to the public. In Chile , a trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Ireland , businesses are legally required to register business names where these differ from

440-548: A dine-in option in certain cities that allowed customers to order food ahead of time and then eat in the restaurant. In September 2019, Uber Eats said it would leave the South Korea market, with Reuters attributing this to the amount of competition for food delivery companies in Korea. In October, the company launched a pick-up option. On October 15, 2019, the company said it would deliver Burger King fast food throughout

495-536: A doctor or other medical professional along with those who had a household member contract COVID-19. The agreement also provided access for workers to telemedicine services. In January 2021, Instacart announced a $ 25 stipend to provide financial assistance to company shoppers who choose to get the COVID-19 vaccine . In January 2021, the company announced plans to lay off nearly 2,000 employees, including all of its employees who had voted to unionize. Instacart said that

550-458: A registered legal name and a fictitious business name, or trade name, is important because fictitious business names do not always identify the entity that is legally responsible . Legal agreements (such as contracts ) are normally made using the registered legal name of the business. If a corporation fails to consistently adhere to such important legal formalities like using its registered legal name in contracts, it may be subject to piercing of

605-562: A six-pack of beer from 21st Amendment Brewery to a Y Combinator partner and was admitted to the summer of 2012 batch. Y Combinator helped Mehta raise $ 2.3 million in funding and enabled him to meet his two co-founders, Max Mullen and Brandon Leonardo. The company’s name is a combination of "maple," in reference to Canada, and "bear," for the logo on the California state flag, as Mehta grew up in Canada and moved to California. In 2020 during

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660-600: A valuation of $ 39 billion as of 2021. In March 2022, in partnership with TikTok , Hearst Magazine and Tasty, Instacart launched Shoppable Recipes with product integrations for food creators. In the same month, Instacart introduced the Instacart Platform, a program with services for retailers. The platform launched with features for advertising, home delivery, and inventory counting. In May 2022, Instacart partnered with Canadian grocers Metro, Giant Tiger, and Galleria Supermarket. In March 2023, Instacart announced

715-661: Is allowed. It has partnerships with 1,500 retail banners comprising 85,000 stores. Instacart reaches nearly 98% of SNAP households, offering delivery services from nearly 180 retail banners, including ALDI, Food Lion, Publix, The Save Mart Companies and Walgreens, spanning more than 30,000 stores across all 50 states and Washington D.C. Since its founding, Instacart Marketplace has powered more than $ 100 billion of GTV and over 900 million orders with approximately 20 billion items ordered. Instacart, since its inception, has grown and expanded from just serving in San Francisco to across

770-454: Is also sometimes used. A company typically uses a trade name to conduct business using a simpler name rather than using their formal and often lengthier name. Trade names are also used when a preferred name cannot be registered, often because it may already be registered or is too similar to a name that is already registered. Using one or more fictitious business names does not create additional separate legal entities. The distinction between

825-703: Is an American entrepreneur and businessman, best known as the co-founder of Instacart. Mullen played a crucial role in building Instacart into a multi-billion dollar company. Mullen was born and raised in Los Angeles, California . He attended the University of Southern California , where he studied and graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration. After graduating, Mullen began his career at Schematic, an interactive agency later acquired by WPP . He spent six years at Schematic, starting as

880-403: Is called a razón social . Uber Eats Uber Eats is an online food ordering and delivery platform launched by the company Uber in 2014. The meals are delivered by couriers using various methods, including cars, scooters, bikes, or on foot. It is operational in over 6,000 cities in 45 countries as of 2021. The process of delivering food is carried out by Uber drivers. In 2020,

935-492: Is the largest to hit the platform in the UK. In March 2024, a black Uber Eats courier received an undisclosed sum as a payout from the company after the app's AI-powered facial recognition denied him continued access to the app and later initiated his account's deletion in 2021. The company has been using AI for facial recognition since April 2020 to confirm that drivers' selfies match the pictures that Uber has on record for them, as

990-519: The COVID-19 pandemic , Instacart implemented contactless delivery, safety kits and guidelines for shoppers. In July 2021, Fidji Simo was appointed CEO, while Mehta transitioned to Executive Chairman of the Board. In July 2022, Simo was appointed to succeed Mehta as chairperson once the company completed its initial public offering . In September 2023, the company became public through an initial public offering raising $ 660 million, valuing

1045-491: The COVID-19 pandemic , as a result of a surge in usage of the mobile app , Instacart hired an additional 300,000 workers to meet the surge in demand for grocery deliveries. Instacart workers threatened to strike on March 27, 2020 due to a lack of COVID-19 safety measures. Workers demanded hazard pay and personal protective equipment . In early April 2020, Instacart began providing safety kits to workers. In May, workers reported being denied sick leave despite quarantining under

1100-482: The International Space Station . On March 11, 2022, Uber Eats added a fuel surcharge to deliveries in the United States and Canada. The new surcharge will be different depending on the delivery length and gas prices in each state. During the COVID-19 pandemic , Uber Eats has been criticized for charging fast-food restaurants 30% to 35% commission. In April 2022, Uber Eats partnered with

1155-705: The United Arab Emirates and that the service would now be through Dubai based vehicle for hire company Careem . The same report stated they were also exiting Saudi Arabia and Egypt . Uber Eats has transitioned its operations to its subsidiary Careem in Saudi Arabia. Uber bolstered its position in July 2020 with the acquisition of Postmates for $ 2.65 billion. In December 2021, Uber Eats completed its first food delivery in space when it partnered with Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa to send food to

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1210-575: The United Kingdom , as the fast food company had partnered with British-based food-delivery company Just Eat . The company had already lost its exclusive delivery rights with McDonald's in the United States the year before. In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic , Uber Eats saw a 30% rise in new customers, as people avoided social interaction for fear of contracting the virus. On May 4, 2020 Uber Eats announced they were exiting

1265-403: The United Kingdom , there is no filing requirement for a "business name", defined as "any name under which someone carries on business" that, for a company or limited liability partnership, "is not its registered name", but there are requirements for disclosure of the owner's true name and some restrictions on the use of certain names. A minority of U.S. states, including Washington , still use

1320-514: The United States . On January 21, 2020, Zomato said it would acquire all of Uber Eats's stock in India. As part of the deal, Uber would own 10% stake in Zomato and Zomato would gain all the users of Uber Eats in India. At the time of the deal, Zomato was valued at roughly $ 3.55 billion. On January 28, 2020 it was reported that Uber Eats no longer had exclusive delivery rights for McDonald's in

1375-628: The Instacart App. In May 2020, Instacart began a partnership with Rite Aid , offering its service across 2,400 locations in 18 states. In August 2020, Instacart entered its first partnership with Walmart in the U.S. to offer same-day delivery services. The partnership is a pilot program beginning in Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, and Tulsa. Additional partnerships in June included C&S Wholesale Grocers and Staples . Instacart had

1430-763: The U.K.'s largest grocer, Tesco , to start in 20 stores and to guarantee delivery of an order within one hour. On May 16, 2022, Uber Eats launched two autonomous delivery pilots in Los Angeles with Serve Robotics and Motional. In December 2022, Uber Eats has partnered with Cartken, a self-driving 6-wheeled sidewalk bot, in Miami. The delivery system, originally from Oakland, CA, is set to deliver food and groceries to residents in Miami. Consumers will be alerted when their food has arrived and they will go and retrieve their goods. Cartken and Uber Eats have not yet released how many bots will be in service, nor where they are headed next. In January 2024, Uber announced it would shut down

1485-418: The U.S., trademark rights are acquired by use in commerce, but there can be substantial benefits to filing a trademark application. Sole proprietors are the most common users of DBAs. Sole proprietors are individual business owners who run their businesses themselves. Since most people in these circumstances use a business name other than their own name, it is often necessary for them to get DBAs. Generally,

1540-636: The UK and Ireland, the delivery fee is based on the value of the order. In February 2019, Uber Eats announced that it would reduce its fee from 35 percent of the order's value to 30 percent. As part of its expansion into foreign markets, the company announced its intention to open virtual restaurants in the UK. Sometimes called cloud restaurants or cloud kitchens , these are restaurant kitchens staffed to prepare and deliver food, either for existing brick-and-mortar restaurants wishing to move their delivery operations offsite, or for delivery-only restaurants with no walk-in or dining room service. In November 2018,

1595-592: The UberFRESH service in Santa Monica, California . In 2015, the platform was renamed UberEats and the ordering software was released a standalone application initially launching in Toronto. In 2016, it commenced operations in both London and Paris. In August 2018, Uber Eats changed its flat $ 4.99 delivery fee to a rate that is determined by distances. The fee ranges from a $ 2 minimum to an $ 8 maximum. In

1650-483: The United States and later on even in Canada in 2017. After getting inspiration from being low on groceries without owning a car as well as his trips to the grocery store by bus in the cold while growing up in Canada, Apoorva Mehta founded Instacart in 2012 at age 26. He tried to apply for funding through Y Combinator but missed the deadline. He eventually got a meeting by using the Instacart mobile app to deliver

1705-430: The United States at restaurants using the defendants’ delivery apps. The case is filed in the federal U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York as Davitashvili v GrubHub Inc., 20-cv-3000. Although a number of preliminary documents in the case have now been filed, a trial date has not yet been set. In 2022, the company is facing a lawsuit for antitrust price manipulation, from forcing restaurants to charge

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1760-795: The acquisition of Eversight, an artificial intelligence pricing platform for brands and retailers. Also in September 2022, the company acquired Rosie, an e-commerce platform for local and independent retailers and wholesalers. Orders are fulfilled and delivered by a personal shopper , who picks, packs, and delivers the order within the customer's designated time frame—within one hour or up to five days in advance. Instacart has item pricing that differ from those purchased directly in store. Instacart provides alcohol delivery and pickup in 27 states, 2 provinces in Canada, and Washington, D.C. Instacart has alcohol delivery partnerships with more than 600 retail banners that span more than 21,000 stores. Max Mullen

1815-411: The advice of a doctor. Instacart required that workers either get a positive COVID-19 test or be under a mandatory quarantine by a public health agency or other government agency. By June, Instacart changed its sick leave rules in an agreement reached by it and D.C. Attorney General , Karl Racine . Under the agreement, Instacart provided paid leave to workers who were clinically diagnosed with COVID-19 by

1870-521: The alcohol delivery service Drizly by March 2024 in an effort to consolidate their brand in Uber Eats. The company plans to merge the discontinued apps into Uber Eats. In April 2020, a group of New Yorkers sued Uber Eats along with DoorDash , Grubhub and Postmates , accusing them of using their market power monopolistically by only listing restaurants on their apps if the restaurant owners signed contracts which include clauses that require prices be

1925-493: The alleged misclassification of its personal shoppers as independent contractors. The suit, filed in March 2015, alleged 18 violations, including improper tip pooling and failure to reimburse workers for business expenses. In November 2016, the company removed the option to leave a gratuity in exchange for a service fee that would be used to pay workers instead. The backlash against the policy from customers and some shoppers forced

1980-625: The availability of digital tools for medical providers to promote nutritious foods to patients and their families. In November 2023, Instacart partnered with Peacock. In May 2024, Instacart partnered with Uber Eats to give Instacart customers access to food delivery from Uber Eats U.S. restaurant partners. In June 2024, Instacart began a partnership with New York Times Cooking. The company has partnered with over 350 grocery retail chains, covering more than 2,500 grocery stores. In August 2013, Instacart began offering an annual membership service called Instacart Express. In June 2022, Instacart Express

2035-590: The company announced plans to triple its workforce in its European markets. As of November 2018, the company reported making food deliveries in 200 cities in 20 countries in EMEA markets. In 2019, Uber Eats said it would deliver food to customers by drones from the Northern Hemisphere in the summer of 2019, and partnered with Apple on the release of the Apple Card . In July, Uber Eats began offering

2090-514: The company at about $ 10 billion. Mehta left the company after it went public. Instacart was first launched in San Francisco in 2012. In November 2013, Instacart added alcohol delivery in areas where alcohol delivery was legal. The company expanded across the United States in the following years. In November 2017, the company expanded to Canada, first with a partnership with Loblaw Companies in Toronto and Vancouver . By May 2018, Instacart

2145-418: The company to reinstate the option only weeks later with modifications that placed the tip under the service fee section on a separate page. In November 2017, some Instacart workers participated in a strike action , alleging wages as low as $ 1 an hour. Instacart claimed that the strike had no impact on its operations. In February 2018, Instacart mistakenly withheld tips given by customers to shoppers, blaming

2200-453: The company was sued for antitrust price manipulation, from forcing restaurants to charge the same price for delivery as for dine-in if the restaurant wants to be listed on the Uber Eats app, along with charging fees of 13–40% of revenue. Uber Eats' parent company Uber was founded in 2009 by Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick . The company began food delivery in August 2014 with the launch of

2255-484: The corporate veil . In English , trade names are generally treated as proper nouns . In Argentina , a trade name is known as a nombre de fantasía ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called a razón social (social name). In Brazil , a trade name is known as a nome fantasia ('fantasy' or 'fiction' name), and the legal name of business is called razão social (social name). In some Canadian jurisdictions , such as Ontario , when

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2310-534: The county or city to be registered with the State Corporation Commission. DBA statements are often used in conjunction with a franchise . The franchisee will have a legal name under which it may sue and be sued, but will conduct business under the franchiser's brand name (which the public would recognize). A typical real-world example can be found in a well-known pricing mistake case, Donovan v. RRL Corp. , 26 Cal. 4th 261 (2001), where

2365-477: The gratuity option back to the checkout screen and raised the default value from 0% to 5%. In June 2015, Instacart allowed some shoppers to choose to be part-time employees , starting with Chicago and Boston and extending its offer to shoppers in Atlanta , Miami , and Washington, D.C. the following month. In March 2017, Instacart agreed to pay $ 4.6 million to settle a class action settlement stemming from

2420-402: The law is to protect the public from fraud, by compelling the business owner to first file or register his fictitious business name with the county clerk, and then making a further public record of it by publishing it in a newspaper. Several other states, such as Illinois , require print notices as well. In Uruguay , a trade name is known as a nombre fantasía , and the legal name of business

2475-478: The layoffs were due to stores increasingly using Instacart to have consumers place orders, but have their own employees fulfill the order instead of Instacart's workforce, reducing reliance on Instacart's in-store shoppers. In January 2018, the company acquired Toronto-based Unata, a white-label platform for grocers, for $ 65 million. In October 2021, Instacart acquired smart cart and checkout company Caper AI for $ 350 million. In September 2022, Instacart announced

2530-461: The named defendant, RRL Corporation, was a Lexus car dealership doing business as " Lexus of Westminster ", but remaining a separate legal entity from Lexus, a division of Toyota Motor Sales, USA, Inc. . In California , filing a DBA statement also requires that a notice of the fictitious name be published in local newspapers for some set period of time to inform the public of the owner's intent to operate under an assumed name . The intention of

2585-489: The revised pay system, tips were no longer factored into the minimum base wages, which were newly set at $ 7–10 for a full-service shopping order (based on delivery market) and $ 5 for delivery only. On April 11, 2019, the company expanded its services to offering an on-demand option for its workers, in order to allow workers to work more flexible schedules. In February 2020, Instacart employees in Skokie, Illinois voted to form

2640-491: The same for dine-in customers as for customers receiving delivery. The plaintiffs state that this arrangement increases the cost for dine-in customers, as they are required to subsidize the cost of delivery; and that the apps charge “exorbitant” fees, which range from 13% to 40% of revenue, while the average restaurant's profit ranges from 3% to 9% of revenue. The lawsuit seeks triple damages, including for overcharges, since April 14, 2016 for dine-in and delivery customers in

2695-485: The same price for delivery as for dine-in if the restaurant wants to be listed on the Uber Eats app, along with charging fees of 13–40% of revenue. On 14 February 2024, Uber Eats delivery drivers in the United Kingdom went on strike and stopped delivering between 5pm and 10pm as part of a protest organised by Delivery Job UK. The aim of the protest is to raise courier pay to a minimum of £5 per order. The strike

2750-459: The surname(s) of the sole trader or partners, or the legal name of a company. The Companies Registration Office publishes a searchable register of such business names. In Japan , the word yagō ( 屋号 ) is used. In Colonial Nigeria , certain tribes had members that used a variety of trading names to conduct business with the Europeans. Two examples were King Perekule VII of Bonny , who

2805-469: The term trade name to refer to "doing business as" (DBA) names. In most U.S. states now, however, DBAs are officially referred to using other terms. Almost half of the states, including New York and Oregon , use the terms assumed business name or assumed name ; nearly as many, including Pennsylvania , use the term fictitious name . For consumer protection purposes, many U.S. jurisdictions require businesses operating with fictitious names to file

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2860-445: Was available for use in 11 Canadian markets and was planning expansions for five more markets. In March 2019, Instacart expanded its same-day alcohol delivery service in the U.S. Effective May 2019, Whole Foods Market ended its partnership with Instacart in the U.S. given its ties to Amazon. In February 2024, Instacart announced customers throughout Canada can now order fresh groceries and everyday essentials from Whole Foods Market on

2915-553: Was known as Captain Pepple in trade matters, and King Jubo Jubogha of Opobo , who bore the pseudonym Captain Jaja . Both Pepple and Jaja would bequeath their trade names to their royal descendants as official surnames upon their deaths. In Singapore , there is no filing requirement for a "trading as" name, but there are requirements for disclosure of the underlying business or company's registered name and unique entity number. In

2970-399: Was renamed Instacart+ and new family shopping features, including sharing membership and shopping-cart collaboration with another family member for free, were added. In April 2018, Instacart changed its prices by instituting a mandatory 5% service fee on all orders. It originally offered an optional 10% service fee that went directly to Instacart that could be turned off. It also returned

3025-579: Was the development of the capacity system, which ensures that Instacart only accepts orders it can fulfill in a timely manner. Doing business as In a number of countries, the phrase " trading as " (abbreviated to t/a ) is used to designate a trade name. In the United States , the phrase " doing business as " (abbreviated to DBA , dba , d.b.a. , or d/b/a ) is used, among others, such as assumed business name or fictitious business name . In Canada , " operating as " (abbreviated to o/a ) and " trading as " are used, although " doing business as "

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