Small Business News

Uber Eats Supporting Local Restaurants with Waived Delivery Fee, More

In the past week, the situation surrounding COVID-19 has severely escalated in the United States. Not only have government advisories suggested that citizens refrain from forming groups larger than 10 — making dining out all but impossible — but other cities and states have ordered restaurants to close, excluding take-out and delivery service. As these developments threaten to hurt thousands of small businesses across the nation, Uber Eats has announced a series of efforts to help keep local eateries afloat.

First, Uber Eats announced that it will be waiving delivery fees for more than 100,000 independent restaurants in the U.S. and Canada. This is not only a win for consumers who might also be feeling a financial pinch during this pandemic but will hopefully also encourage them to eat local. Moreover Uber says it will launch “daily dedicated, targeted marketing campaigns” to promote local establishments. These campaigns will be featured in the app and sent via e-mail.

With liquidity also proving a challenge for small business owners, Uber Eats will also be offering new options for participant restaurants. Now they’ll be able to request daily payments from their online orders. Normally establishments are paid on a weekly basis.

Beyond their efforts to help local businesses, Uber says it’s also committed to supporting first responders. The company says it will coordinate with local governments but is committed to providing 300,000 free meals to first responders and healthcare workers. In a statement, the company said, “We know that the work of medical and crisis response teams can be tireless, and the hours long; we hope we can help in a small way,” and invited organization officials to reach them for more info.

Commenting on these new programs, Uber Eats said, “We know the success of every restaurant depends on customer demand. That’s why we’re working urgently to drive orders towards independent restaurants on Eats, to help make up for the significant slowdown of in-restaurant dining.” The company went on to note, “The coming weeks will be challenging for all of us. We are committed to working with our restaurant partners, government agencies, first responders, and communities at large to keep people safe and fed.”

There’s no doubt that this current crisis will impact a number of small businesses for the worse. Local restaurants are certainly no exception, as many have already been forced to close or see business dry up and precautions grow. Thus these latest efforts on the part of Uber Eats seem like a boon to both business owners and hungry customers alike. That said, while Uber makes it clear that they’re committed to supporting their delivery drivers financially providing them with necessary sanitation supplies, it’s not hard to imagine that many of them will want to stay inside as well. Regardless, hopefully gestures like this can help businesses ride out this pandemic storm along with all the rest of us.

Other Articles by Jonathan Dyer