UberEats, a food delivery service stemming from the main ridesharing app, Uber, made its way to the Triangle this November. The app allows for customers to order food from local restaurants and have it delivered to them by Uber drivers.
UberEats is already operating in 120 cities. Much like its mother app, Uber, UberEats tracks the progress of customers’ orders, showing where the driver is, along with the driver’s name and photo. The app includes a $4.99 delivery fee and the average order takes 35 minutes from beginning to end, according to UberEats’ website.
So far, 100 restaurants in the Triangle area have already signed up to participate in UberEats. The list includes Chapel Hill locals such as Bagel Bar, City Kitchen, Cosmic Cantina and more.
Bagel Bar owner and Chapel Hill alumnus Jonathan Collins believes that UberEats will thrive in the Triangle area.
“We felt that unlike some of the other delivery services available in the area, Uber was uniquely positioned because they already have an established pool of drivers. This allows for the service to be streamlined for both the customers and for us as an establishment,” Collins said.
Collins hopes that UberEats will increase Bagel Bar’s exposure to the Triangle.“They have done an excellent job of promoting their service across the Triangle, and, in doing so, they’ve brought a bunch of users on to the app,” Collins said. “Getting our menu in front of these new customers is a great way for us to expand our customer base and gives us a chance to target potential new customers who may have been too far beyond our normal reach.”
The process restaurants use to get involved in the service is simple, according to Collins. The restaurant has to upload its menu to the app, at which point UberEats sends a preprogrammed tablet and promotional materials.
Chapel Hill High School students, such as senior Annette Seka, have begun to take advantage of the new delivery service.
“I decided to use UberEats instead of other food delivery services because it’s reliable. I’ve used Uber for rides and UberEats is from the same company so I knew I could rely on it,” Seka said. “You just pick a restaurant, order your food and wait. It’s fast, affordable and I don’t have to leave my house. I’ll probably continue using it in the future.”
UberEats will potentially affect incoming businesses of third party delivery services in the area such as Takeout Central. Takeout Central Operation Director Brad Russell, however, believes the company will be able to counteract any competition caused by the introduction of UberEats into the area through the company’s locality in the Triangle.
“Our office is right downtown. We all live and work here locally,” Russell said. “That’s what separates us from our multimillion-dollar competitors, that’s how we counteract. We’re passionate local folks that focus purely on quality restaurant delivery service and exceptional locally-operated customer service.”
