UberEats Starts Delivering Food in Detroit Today

Detroit’s food delivery options are undergoing a major expansion on Thursday with the launch of UberEats. The standalone meal delivery app announced today that it will begin serving the metro area — its 100th U.S. city since UberEats debuted in 2015. Detroit will be the first Michigan location to receive the service.

The app has forged partnerships at more than 100 Detroit restaurants including Dilla’s Delights, Batch Brewing Company, Bon Bon Bon, Slows To Go, New Center Eatery, and Detroit 75 Kitchen. “When we heard UberEats would be coming to Detroit, we knew they were the ideal partner to bring Dilla’s Delights to our guests outside of our store,” Herman Hayes, founder of Dilla’s Delights, says in a release.

Restaurant options will be available to customers in Detroit proper and surrounding suburbs such as Dearborn, Berkley, Roseville, Melvindale, and Grosse Pointe.

Customers can access UberEats by downloading the smartphone app or visiting ubereats.com. After logging into an account, select a restaurant and view the menu to place an order. Restaurants options will appear in relation to what’s available in the surrounding area.

Each order requires a $5.99 booking fee in addition to the cost of the meal and taxes, with an option to add a tip, Pete Forsberg, general manager for UberEats Michigan tells Eater. UberEats also retains a percentage of the restaurant’s revenue from each order.

As for the people delivering all those meals, the company has hired an unconfirmed number drivers dedicated specifically to UberEats. Drivers on Uber’s ride-hailing app also have the option to opt-in for restaurant delivery, Forsberg says.

Now through December 14, UberEats customers in the Detroit metro area can use the code DETROITEATS to receive two deliveries for free.

Food delivery apps have gained steam across the U.S. in recent years, but they’re still relatively novel in the Detroit restaurant landscape. Just a few apps are currently available in the city such as Detroit-based Flash Delivery and Seamless/GrubHub. Uber itself has done moderate testing in the Detroit area with on-demand fried dough deliveries on Paczki Day.

Despite entering the game relatively late, name recognition and an established network of drivers have helped UberEats dominate the food delivery market. The company has also recently announced some big partnerships with international fast food brands like McDonald’s. While Uber still has yet to turn a profit, its food delivery app also appears to be a bright spot in the bottomline with a growing clientele and 27 cities performing in the black.

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