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UberEats is looking to more widely compete with the likes of GrubHub and Postmates with the expansion of its food delivery service today. In addition to its existing “instant delivery” (where drivers carry a limited number of dishes in the car so they can make drop-offs within 10 minutes), the company has launched a separate UberEats app offering pickup from about 100 different D.C. restaurants.
How it works: When you place your order, it goes directly to the restaurant. (Postmates does the same with its “plus” restaurants, but couriers place orders at other restaurants.) The restaurant will then confirm the order and set a timeline for delivery depending on how busy it is. Once the food is nearly ready, a driver is dispatched to pick it up. Some of the drivers will be Uber X drivers, while others are devoted exclusively to UberEats.
There will be a flat delivery fee of $4.99, which will be waived for the first few weeks after today’s launch.
Participating restaurants so far include fast-casual spots like Maki Shop and Little Sesame as well as higher-end establishments like Osteria Morini or Equinox. Uber partners with the restaurants, so it shouldn’t run into the same miscommunications that services like Postmates and DoorDash have had.
And while the instant delivery is only available for weekday lunch, the full delivery service operates seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
UPDATE: Postmates couriers don’t always place orders themselves, as was previously stated. Some restaurants in its “plus” category accept orders directly, like UberEats.
Photo by Jessica Sidman