SAN FRANCISCO — Uber Eats has outlined efforts to support independent-restaurant owners and operators amidst the COVID-19 outbreak.
“We know the coming weeks will be challenging ones for many small-business owners and we want to help restaurants focus on food, not finances,” says Janelle Sallenave, head of Uber Eats for the U.S. and Canada. “That’s why we’re working to drive increased demand to more than 100,000 independent restaurants across the U.S. and Canada through free delivery and marketing efforts.”
The support package includes waiving of delivery fees on all Uber-Eats orders from independent restaurants across the U.S. and Canada, as well as dedicated marketing campaigns — both in-app and via email — to promote delivery from local restaurants, especially those that are new to the app. Additional benefits include a new opt-in program for all restaurants in the U.S. and Canada using the Uber-Eats platform to receive daily payouts, rather than the company’s standard weekly payout.
“We’ve heard from restaurants that they’re worried about what the health crisis will do to sales and its impact on cash flow and their ability to pay suppliers or employees,” says Therese Lim, head of Restaurant Product at Uber Eats. “That’s why, from today, we’ll provide restaurants with the option to receive daily payouts rather than waiting until the end of the week to see revenue from deliveries, which can be even more important as delivery becomes a bigger share of their sales during this time.”
Uber Eats has also begun a user campaign to drive awareness of “contactless” delivery, provided CDC guidance to restaurants to ensure all delivery orders are properly sealed in tamper-evident packaging and is working to provide delivery people with sanitization materials in the most impacted markets.
The company has also pledged more than 300,000 free meals to be delivered to healthcare workers and other relief efforts in coordination with local and state governments.
