Papa Johns taps AI powered Deliverect Smart Dispatch platform across its US restaurants

Deliverect has announced a partnership with Papa Johns that aims to modernise its delivery operations across the US.

In a LinkedIn post, Zhong Xu, Co-founder and CEO at Deliverect, said: “This is a massive milestone for us as we scale our AI powered Smart Dispatch platform to over +3,500 US restaurants with Papa Johns. This roll-out builds on the fantastic momentum we’ve already established powering Papa Johns in the UK, further solidifying our global partnership.”

He added: “With this addition, we now proudly power the top seven of the largest pizza chains in the world. By unifying in-house and third-party fulfillment into one intelligent hub, Papa Johns is prioritising a faster, more reliable experience for every customer. Huge thanks to the entire team for their trust in us.”

Tortilla Mexican Grill

Tortilla, a European fast casual Mexican restaurant group, has returned to Deliveroo following time away from the platform. The on demand delivery partnership will span 60 of its restaurants across the UK.

Tortilla is set to collaborate with Deliveroo on its Family Dinneroo initiative, offering shareable meals for between up to four people, with the ability to customise to suit individual needs. These menus are available between 4.30pm and 6.30pm on Monday to Thursday, and are exclusive to the Deliveroo app.

Rob Harris, Chief Revenue Office, Deliveroo, says: "We are excited to welcome Tortilla back to Deliveroo and we look forward to helping them achieve their growth ambitions. It’s a partnership that’s about more than delivery, it’s about reaching new customers and building a loyal customer base together through innovative initiatives like Family Dinneroo and offering great value to Deliveroo Plus subscribers."

Brandon Stephens, CEO at Tortilla Mexican Grill, says: “Delivery remains an important and complementary channel for Tortilla, and this new multiaggregator arrangement reflects our disciplined approach to accessing incremental demand while retaining operational and commercial control.”

“We are pleased to be partnering with Deliveroo again, building on our existing relationship and leveraging their platform alongside other leading aggregators. This approach allows us to serve customers more conveniently, while ensuring delivery continues to support the long-term economics of the business.”

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

On demand delivery will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.