Uber to expand UK restaurant delivery service
Over one million people have downloaded the UberEATS app since it launched in the UK last year, though the service is only available in London, Birmingham and Manchester.
“Over 55% of the UK’s population can order a car through Uber, so we want to replicate this with EATS,” said Uber.
More than 2,000 UK restaurants already work with the app, including Chilango, Patty & Bun, Itsu and Leon. Diners can order online or through the UberEATS app seven days a week before watching their food arrive in real-time via a live map.
Jambu Palaniappan, UberEATS’ regional general manager, said the company was ‘investing heavily’ in launching the app across the country by the end of the year.
“It’s clear from the response we’ve seen in London, Manchester and Birmingham that there’s huge appetite from people to order food at the touch of a button from their favourite local restaurants,” he said.
The UK’s online ordering market is booming, with operators such as MeatLiquor and Clockjack launching delivery-only sites in a bid to cut costs.
Deliveroo, which operates in 12 countries, saw overall orders grow 650% in 2016. In January the company launched a subscription service designed to cut delivery fees for regular users.
