Uber's food delivery service takes a bite of Europe with Barcelona expansion
Ride hailing app Uber has expanded its food delivery service to Europe, first landing at Barcelona, with the firm claiming it can have orders in the hands of consumers within ten minutes.
UberEats, or UberFresh as it is known in the US, was first trialled in August 2014 in Los Angeles as a lunch delivery service with consumers able to order food from exclusive outlets via the Uber mobile app.
The move marks the latest step in the company's plans to diversify its revenue stream beyond the turbulent taxi industry - currently under siege from lawmakers internationally - into the food delivery service.
A major draw for users of the app, is the ability to track orders in real time via a GPS tracker.
Johann Wald, co-founder of Plateselector, a participating restaurant franchise, said: “Plateselector is excited to be a part of this collaboration with Uber, an internationally renowned brand. We are fans of their app and are looking forward to contributing our expertise to the UberEats dining experience.”
Carles Lloret, Uber Spain general manager, added: “Uber is committed to innovating and bringing new benefits to the people of Spain. UberEats will make ordering food more convenient for customers, increase the reach for restaurants and increase economic opportunities for drivers.
“Many of the restaurants we have partnered with have previously been unable to offer a delivery option. With UberEats we can connect restaurants to a network of delivery drivers and open new opportunities for growth.”
Launch restaurants also include Surf House Barcelona and Feeld Organic.
This comes after the firm announced that it was planning a mass European expansion in January planning to bring an additional 50,000 jobs to the continent.