Uber Eats Launches In-Store Payments Solution

Need to Know

• The new Uber Eats Contactless Order feature will allow Uber Eats users to order and pay from within the app while dining at restaurants or ordering takeout.
• Customers can either scan a QR code when they are dining in at restaurants or find the restaurant in the Uber Eats app to order and pay for meals; dine-in customers will have food delivered to their table.
• Uber is launching the tool in eight U.S. markets later this week.
• In August, Uber Eats started taking in more revenue than parent company Uber’s ride-sharing business.

Analysis

As Uber continues to adapt its services to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the company has today announced that it will soon be bringing touch-free ordering and payments to in-restaurant dining experiences.

The Uber Eats Contactless Order feature will require users to scan a QR code at participating restaurants, which will then redirect them to the app. Users who are eating at restaurants can order and pay through the app and will have their meals delivered to their table. Individuals who want to choose the takeout option, meanwhile, can simply schedule their order for pickup.

The solution offers restaurants one more way to enable contactless payments during the ongoing COVID pandemic. Avid Uber Eats users can opt to simply pay through the app without having to touch a payment terminal and shop owners can simply use the platform as a near-replacement for typical transaction platforms.

“We all have a role to play in keeping each other safe and healthy, and our Contactless Order Feature for both pick-up and dine-in provides another tool for customers and restaurant staff to do just that,” said Daniel Danker, head of product at Uber Eats, of the new feature launch.

Uber is making the new food pickup option available today and will be rolling out the in-store ordering and payment feature in eight U.S. markets—Indianapolis, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Vermont, Atlanta, New York City, and Washington, D.C.—before launching it more widely.

Uber has been continually fine-tuning and improving its services since the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The company now requires all of its drivers and passengers to wear face coverings and sends a safety prompt to passengers whenever they request a ride. In Toronto, Uber has partnered with 100km Foods to offer restaurants a $1,000 credit to purchase from local farms as part of its FarmFresh program, which will also involve participating restaurants selling dishes made with local ingredients exclusively via Uber Eats.

Uber Eats, meanwhile, has offered contactless delivery since the spring, and in June, as US online-grocery orders topped $7-billion, the company announced it would be partnering with Cornershop to begin offering home grocery delivery.