How will the Amazon-Whole Foods deal affect restaurants?How will the Amazon-Whole Foods deal affect restaurants?

This post is part of the On the Margin blog.

Last week, Amazon agreed to buy Whole Foods Market Inc. for $13.7 billion, in a deal that will almost certainly change the landscape of the grocery business for good. 

Its impact on restaurants will be far less obvious.

The deal appears likely to push the industry towards areas where it’s already moving, such as delivery and online ordering, while strengthening a competitor that has already been a major factor in the prepared foods business. 

There’s no question that the deal is monumental. Amazon is the country’s biggest online retailer, and has disrupted numerous industries in its more than 20 years in business. 

Amazon's acquisition of Whole Foods gives the grocer more than 450 customer-facing ...