UBEREATS

When I was in San Diego I used UberEATS for the first time. The two times I used it was after midnight when I was back in my hotel, hungry, didn’t feel like going anywhere, and wanted someone to deliver me food. In that respect, UberEATS was perfect. It’s a separate app that you need to download, not the one that you use to get around. Conveniently though, your Uber account works on both apps. The UberEATS app leverages a lot of the existing technologies in the other app, including seeing your driver on a map so you know how close he or she is with your food. The app is also easy to navigate and for the most part, you can even see pictures of the food in the menus.

Both times I used it, I chose Jack in the Box as it was the only establishment that was both open and desirable as a midnight snack. Jack in the Box doesn’t have locations in Vancouver and it’s also headquartered in San Diego which made it an attractive choice. The closest location was about a five-minute drive from my hotel. Each time, from the time I submitted my order to when I had food in hand was less than 30 minutes. I believe the longest part of that time was the app trying to find a driver that would accept the order and delivery. I imagine if a driver was right next to the restaurant and willing to take the order on, my food would have arrived sooner.

Once your order is submitted, the app keeps you up to date on the status. Once your driver is determined, it will update the app with the driver’s name and car. It will also tell you if your order is going from being “prepared” to on the way to your location. Once that happens, the vehicle will also show up on the map. Every step of the way, an estimate of when your food will arrive is available. This is helpful if you need to go downstairs in a large hotel with many floors.

I waited for my driver in front of the hotel and he or she just hands you the food and then drives off. It’s like a pizza delivery guy, except that no money changes hand, it’s all done in the app, even the tipping if you want. I was fairly impressed with the service. I know that many food delivery services exist back at home but none have the infrastructure of Uber behind it. At this time, I’d probably wait until UberEATS arrives in Vancouver before partaking again.

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