Voices of Grubhub: Nidhin George, SVP, Product on Taking a Customer-First Mindset to Product Development

For this edition of our Leadership Insights Series, we caught up with Nidhin George, Senior Vice President of Product.

Nidhin's team is customer-obsessed and responsible for implementing robust product disciplines and driving innovation across Grubhub's marketplace.

Can you tell us a bit about your journey to Grubhub?
I joined Grubhub in mid-2022, so it's been around two and a half years now. I originally came on board to lead new verticals and corporate ordering products, but my role has since expanded. Now, I lead all product and design efforts at Grubhub, covering areas like front-end analytics and experimentation to test new features. Prior to Grubhub, I spent 17 years at Amazon, where I had the opportunity to scale various business units like the device business (Alexa), fulfillment by Amazon, and logistics products. That experience gave me exposure to building and scaling products across consumer logistics, fulfillment, and supply chain, which has proven invaluable in my current role.

Can you describe how the product team operates and tackles challenges?
The product team is built around solving key customer problems. We work closely with stakeholders across the business to ensure our efforts align with Grubhub's broader goals to build value, selection, and service. We've structured our team around problem spaces-each led by a single-threaded leader, or STL, who is responsible for specific domains like consumer experience or merchant solutions. This structure allows us to scale while staying focused on what matters most: adding value to our customers.

Our process is deeply rooted in metrics. We measure both input and output metrics to track our progress. For example, if we're focusing on customer growth, we'll measure outputs like new and returning sessions on the app, but we'll also look closely at actionable input metrics that drive those outcomes.

Collaboration is key to success in any organization. How does your team collaborate cross functionally to drive product success?
It's definitely a tricky part of the job. One of the ways we address this is by creating "functional triads" that bring together business, product, engineering, and design to ensure alignment to solve specific challenges. This structure, combined with quarterly planning cycles, ensures that everyone is on the same page and that we are consistently aligning on strategic goals and execution plans.

How do you prioritize innovation while maintaining core product stability?
Innovation is critical to Grubhub's future, but it's a balancing act. We don't have infinite resources, which means we have to be strategic about where we invest our time and energy. One of the ways we drive innovation is through partnerships-whether it's working with language learning models or exploring robot deliveries and Amazon's Just Walk Out technologies. Hackathons with our internal team members are another mechanism we use to encourage innovation, and they've led to some exciting developments over the years.

Grubhub has ambitious goals for returning to growth. How does your team align with the company's broader strategy?
We work backward from the overall Grubhub goals, aligning our product strategy with the company's growth objectives. For instance, if we're targeting specific growth metrics, we bake those into our planning cycles and prioritize accordingly. Ruthless prioritization is key in this environment, where we at times have more work than capacity. We constantly ask ourselves, "What will move the needle the most?" and adjust our plans based on data-driven insights while staying strategic.

What are the main areas of focus for the rest of the year and moving into next year?
Our partnership with Amazon is a major focus, particularly through our Grubhub+ program, which remains central to our strategy. We're also focusing on winning in our core markets, with a specific emphasis on value and selection. On the selection front, we've added a handful of large brands to our Marketplace, including CVS, Albertsons, and Starbucks.

How do you see Grubhub's product evolving to meet future customer needs?
Our product philosophy is built around three pillars: 1) offering the best value (in terms of price, selection, and partnerships), 2) providing a seamless shopping experience, and 3) ensuring a strong brand perception. This applies not only to our customers but also to our merchants and drivers. We're constantly refining our approach to ensure we meet the needs of all three sides of the marketplace.

As a leader, how would you describe your leadership style?
I lead with vision and focus on positioning our product to meet customer needs. I'm very much a people-first leader, encouraging my team to take calculated risks, fail fast, and learn quickly. I believe in walking the floor and understanding our customers firsthand. I also foster a culture where the best idea wins, regardless of where it comes from. Collaboration and innovation are at the heart of my approach.

What's the best piece of career advice you've received?
Two key pieces of advice come to mind. First, foster a culture of innovation where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities. It's crucial to encourage risk-taking, especially when it comes to low-impact, high-velocity decisions. Second, focus matters. When you identify what resonates with customers, be decisive and bring it to market as quickly as possible. It's all about prioritizing the vital few over the trivial many.

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