You have just Uber-ed home. After a quick shower, Netflix comes on and out comes your mobile phone because a plate of biryani is on your mind. One tap and a new food delivery app pops up — Uber Eats. Yes, the San Francisco HQ-ed company’s popular food delivery service is launching today in Calcutta. Here’s more from Bhavik Rathod, head of Uber Eats India.
What can Uber Eats offer that would make our readers install one more food delivery app?
Calcutta loves the Uber rides app because of its ease of use and its reliable technology. Uber Eats is no different. We’ve used the same technology and the same approach to build the Uber Eats app — a simple and reliable way to meet everyday food ordering needs of our consumers. We are confident that after a great run in 10 cities since we launched in India in May last year, Uber Eats will soon become an integral part of Calcutta’s vibrant food culture.
What sets Uber Eats apart from Swiggy or Zomato Order?
Our focus is to provide consumers a seamless delivery experience. The app has a lot of unique features that make the ordering process simple and efficient. Tailor-made restaurant recommendations depending on one’s choices, scheduling orders within the app, customising drop-off location and live tracking of orders are some of the features that consumers love Uber Eats for.
We are obsessed with data and insights, this help us extend our services not only to deliver food but empower restaurants with actionable data about their business and dishes, as well as the tools to improve. Restaurants don’t have a feedback loop about their food or service in general, so we are leveraging our tech to help solve this problem for our restaurant partners. We use machine-learning (ML) and smart algorithms to learn and predict the fastest way a restaurant partner and delivery partner can fulfil an order.
How many Calcutta restaurants are on board?
We are partnering with over 200 restaurants around the city, Calcuttans can now order their favourite food from outlets like Momo I Am, Balaram Mullick & Radharaman Mullick, Wise Owl, Aminia, Rahmania, Flurys, Paris Cafe and Kusum Rolls.
You are late to the food delivery “party” in India....
Our unique food plus technology pairing is what sets us apart. Uber Eats connects people who love food to the food they love. It’s the perfect pairing of amazing restaurant partners, our innovative technology, and the Uber delivery network. Further, the team behind Eats is a perfect mix of former food entrepreneurs, some of whom have worked on the rides side of the business and are food fanatics themselves.
A criticism of food delivery services: The idea of visiting restaurants with friends/family is taking a back seat because many are opting home delivery….
Stepping out on a crowded street to grab a meal causes inconvenience to many and may not be always possible. While eating at a restaurant is an experience in itself, many today prefer food delivery to enjoy a meal with their families/friends while watching a movie, catching up or they just indulge in casual conversation.
The road forward....
We will continue to grow our business across geographies, especially in untapped geographies like smaller cities in India, those that are located on the periphery of most metros.
Before you log on
Average delivery time in Calcutta…
35 minutes. Ideally, 20 minutes to prepare the food and 15 minutes for delivery.
Which parts of the city will Uber Eats service?
We will launch in all key neighbourhoods, such as Bhowanipore, Gariahat, Alipore and Tollygunge.
On the part of restaurant owners, how does one register?
They can start by filling out on ubereats.com/restaurants
Uber Eats food trends from across India...
We recently did a global research on the occasion of International Day of Happiness to understand how Indians are ordering mood-boosting foods. The data revealed that meals ordered in India include creamy pasta, ginger chai, Oreo shake, chocolate grilled sandwich, mango ice cream, badam milk, chicken popcorn and a fish meal. Orders for such meals peak at 8pm on Sundays in India.
Mathures Paul
