Uber dives into fast food delivery business with UberFRESH trial
Not satisfied with providing taxi rides or delivering groceries Uber is trying its hand at the fast food delivery business, with a new service called UberFRESH.
The taxi app claims it will be able to deliver food from local restaurants in 10 minutes or less. Unfortunately for Uber-loving Brits this service will only be available in Santa Monica California for a trial run between 26 August and 5 September.
"While UberFRESH is a limited duration and location experiment this week, depending on the results we look forward to expanding UberFRESH throughout the southland," the company said on its blog.
Customers in the Santa Monica area will be able to order food between 11:30am and 2:30pm from a host of popular restaurants. The choices are pretty limited, with customers being able to choose only one item such as a sub, or a salad that costs $12, and Uber throwing in a free cookie.
Uber will use existing drivers to deliver the food rather than hiring a new team for the trial. There will be no extra delivery charge, and the customers will have to collect their food from the car.
If successful, UberFRESH could join the host of other services the ridesharing company has launched, such as Uber Movers (for moving home) and UberRUSH (an NYC-based bike courier).
Recently, Uber launched same-day grocery delivery service in Washington DC called Corner Store. The service is within Uber's main app and will allow users to order over 100 items priced to compete with DC convenience stores.
Corner Store asks the customer to select where to have their groceries delivered and texts what is available for delivery, while an Uber driver calls to confirm the order before delivery.