March 15--Uber has launched a stand-alone app for its UberEats service, greatly expanding the number of dishes and restaurants customers can choose from at one time and heating up the fierce food delivery market in Chicago.
The new UberEats app will offer full menus from about 100 restaurants here, with delivery available from 8 a.m. until midnight. The existing UberEats service, now nearly a year old, offers only three to five dishes per day from various restaurants. Those meals have been offered with a 10-minute delivery promise and will still be available as a quicker delivery lunchtime-only option on the main Uber app.
UberEats meals typically range between $8 and $12. Orders on the new app will carry a flat delivery fee of $5 after an initial promotional period. The delivery fee for meals still offered on the main Uber app, which the company calls its "instant delivery" option, will be $3.
Paolo Lorenzoni, UberEats general manager, said that while the delivery market is increasingly competitive in Chicago, he believes Uber has a leg up because of its established driver base and direct relationships with restaurants.
Lorenzoni said that while the company will try to balance options between fast-casual and higher-end options, the makeup of its restaurant repertoire is "obviously more an art than a science." He said the company will focus on expanding to popular local spots, whether they be a corner pizza joint or a high-end restaurant.
The service has been tested in Toronto and launched in Los Angeles last week.
sbomkamp@tribpub.com
