GrubHub and Seamless Merge to Cook Up Food Delivery Technology, Will Remain 2 Apps

May 20, 2013 — -- It's late, you didn't have time to make dinner, and now you're in the mood for sushi. Chances are, you reach for your phone, fire up either the Seamless or GrubHub app, sort by restaurant, select your meal, place your order and wait for the delivery person to knock on your door.

Soon, those two food app companies will become one. Seamless and GrubHub announced today that they will be merging.

However, that doesn't mean the apps themselves will become one, at least for now.

"We have the luxury of having two amazing brands right now. Honestly, we don't have plans to consolidate brands at this time," Matt Maloney, CEO and co-founder of GrubHub, told ABC News. "We are looking to position ourselves as a combined unit within this massive industry."

The deal still awaits regulatory approval to become final.

Maloney will become the CEO of the combined company, while Seamless CEO Jonathan Zabusky will serve as president. The name of the combined company or the terms of the deal have not been released yet.

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So why combine the companies if not for making the ultimate food takeout app? Maloney said it's all about driving more business to restaurants and creating a better experience for us, takeout fiends.

"The concept here is you have two companies which are very complimentary, solving much of the same problems on the same day," he said.

He pointed out that Seamless has built an "incredible iPad app," but GrubHub's tablet app for those looking to order from home isn't great.

GrubHub, on the other hand, has in-restaurant tablet technology, which Seamless doesn't. The two companies can take advantage of the other's technology.

Additionally, the acquisition will expand the respective restaurant networks of both services. Those looking to order food in 500 cities across the U.S. to will be able to order from 20,000 local takeout restaurants under the combined company.

Other companies like Delivery.com and ChowNow are much smaller.

According to GrubHub and Seamless, last year the online and mobile platforms of both companies sent approximately $875 million in food sales to restaurants, resulting in combined revenue of over $100 million.

Ultimately, though, Maloney said, it's about the future of food delivery -- getting those sushi rolls faster and in a new way.

"We are going to be able to do some really cool stuff to redefine online ordering," he said.