Kevin JohnsonUber Eats is a food ordering and food delivery platform headquartered in San Francisco, California. Ridesharing giant Uber launched the service in 2014 as UberFRESH, renamed it Uber Eats, and released a standalone ordering software app in 2015. The application also integrates with Uber’s ridesharing app.
In May 2023, Uber upgraded Uber Eats’ family and group grocery shopping and payment experience options. Families can now link multiple Uber accounts and pay for rides and deliveries from a centralized account. Group grocery upgrades allow users to invite participants to add their items to a shared cart and automatically split the bill. In 2022, Uber Eats had around 10,000 employees. [1]
Uber revolutionized the transportation and food delivery sectors with its innovative Uber Eats platform and ridesharing service. The company fulfills customers’ orders using its drivers and employees riding scooters and bikes. In 2020, Uber strengthened its position in the food delivery sector by acquiring Postmates for $2.4 billion.
Uber Eats had expanded into over 6,000 cities across 45 countries by 2021 and controlled 22% of the US food delivery market. In Jun 2023, New York City increased the minimum pay for app-based food delivery workers from $15/hour to $17.96/hour. This new rule threatens Uber Eats’ profit margin.,Uber Eats is also threatened by increased competition from Grubhub, DoorDash, Deliveroo, Just Eat, ASAP, ChowNow, HungryPanda, and Postmates. [2]
Here is an in-depth analysis of Uber Eats’ top 15 competitors and alternatives:
1. Grubhub
Year founded: 2004
Headquarter: Chicago, Illinois
Grubhub is a mobile and online food ordering and delivery platform. The company launched its Grubhub+ subscription program in 2020, which allows customers to pay a monthly fee to access free, unlimited food delivery from partner restaurants. In Jun 2023, Grubhub laid off 400 employees, or about 15% of its workforce. [3]
Grubhub competes against Uber Eats for the restaurants’ delivery business. In 2021, Amsterdam-based Just Eat Takeaway.com acquired Grubhub for $7.3 billion. This acquisition came after the company declined Uber’s takeover offer. Grubhub is the top Uber Eats competitor and alternative.
2. DoorDash
Year founded: 2013
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
DoorDash is a digital food ordering and food delivery platform. Users can use the DoorDash app to search for and order drinks, groceries, and ready-made meals from local restaurants and grocers. In Nov 2022, DoorDash cut about 1,250 jobs, or 6% of its workforce, as part of its cost-saving initiatives.
DoorDash is one of the leading food ordering services in the US. The company acquired Caviar from Square for $410 million in 2021 and partnered with Albertsons to deliver groceries.
In May 2023, DoorDash raised its annual profit forecast after orders for food, groceries, and convenience products increased. DoorDash is one of the top competitors for Uber Eats. [4]
3. Deliveroo
Year founded: 2013
Headquarter: London, United Kingdom
Deliveroo is a British company specializing in food and grocery delivery. The company has around 150,000 riders, 158,000 restaurants, and 18,000 grocery stores on its platform. In Feb 2023, Deliveroo laid off 350 employees, about 9% of its staff. [5]
Deliveroo started as a food delivery service and expanded its offering to include groceries in 2021. The company exited Australia and the Netherlands in 2022 due to stiff competition.
In Q4 2022, Deliveroo posted a 2% drop in online orders; but the company expects to make a profit in 2023. Deliveroo is the top competitor for Uber Eats in the UK. [6]
4. Just Eat
Year founded: 2001
Headquarter: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Just Eat is a digital food ordering and delivery brand owned by Just Eat Takeaway.com, a multinational restaurant delivery aggregator. The platform operates in the UK, Denmark, Italy, Ireland, France, Spain, and Switzerland. In 2022, the company switched to a gig worker model and cut thousands of driver jobs in the UK.
Just Eat has been affected by an industry-wide decline. In Q1 2023, the company recorded a 14% drop in orders from 263 million to 228 million. Yet, Just Eat is one of the best alternatives to Uber Eats in Europe. [7]
5. ASAP
Year founded: 2013
Headquarter: Lafayette, Louisiana
Formerly known as Waitr, ASAP is an American food-tech company. It started as a food ordering and delivery service and evolved into a “deliver-anything” platform. In Aug 2022, the company rebranded from Waitr to ASAP to reflect its new “deliver-anything” business model. [8]
ASAP and Uber Eats offer food delivery services, but ASAP also delivers alcohol, sporting goods, luxury apparel, car parts, and home appliances. As of Jun 2022, the company operated in around 1,000 US cities and is the number 4 delivery provider in the US. ASAP is one of the top Uber Eats competitors.
Formerly known as Waitr, ASAP is an American food-tech company. It started as a food ordering and delivery service and evolved into a “deliver-anything” platform. In Aug 2022, the company rebranded from Waitr to ASAP to reflect its new “deliver-anything” business model. [8]
ASAP and Uber Eats offer food delivery services, but ASAP also delivers alcohol, sporting goods, luxury apparel, car parts, and home appliances. As of Jun 2022, the company operated in around 1,000 US cities and is the number 4 delivery provider in the US. ASAP is one of the top Uber Eats competitors.
6. ChowNow
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: Los Angeles, California
ChowNow is a digital ordering and marketing platform. In 2022, the company laid off about 100 employees in July and cut another 40 jobs in December. ChowNow now employs around 360 people. [9]
ChowNow and Uber Eats are food-tech companies, but ChowNow specifically supports independent restaurants. Since its founding, the company has processed over 200 million online orders. The platform helps more than 20,000 local restaurants across North America grow their delivery and takeout business. ChowNow is a worthy alternative to Uber Eats. [10]
7. HungryPanda
Year founded: 2016
Headquarter: London, United Kingdom
HungryPanda is the world’s leading overseas Asian food delivery platform. The company operates in over 80 cities across ten countries, including the UK, Italy, France, the US, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, South Korea, Japan, and Singapore. As of Feb 2023, HungryPanda served over 3.5 million users worldwide.
HungryPanda works with over 40,000 riders and 60,000 merchants. In Feb 2023, the firm launched a new brand campaign to change its identity to reflect its transformation into a one-stop lifestyle service. HungryPanda is one of the best alternatives to Uber Eats for overseas Asian communities. [11]
8. Postmates
Year founded: 2011
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Postmates is a deliver-everything platform acquired by Uber in 2020 for $2.65 billion. Users can order meals, foodstuffs, groceries, alcoholic drinks, and more. In 2022, Postmates had over 600,000 partner merchants.
Postmates connects restaurants, food stores, and groceries to consumers. Although Uber acquired Postmates, it operates separately as a standalone platform. In 2022, Postmates’ 9.3 million active users ordered five million items monthly. Postmates is one of the best alternatives to Uber Eats for US consumers. [12]
9. Slice
Year founded: 2010
Headquarter: New York City, New York
Slice is a tech platform powering America’s largest network of pizzerias. Small businesses can rely on Slice’s technology, marketing solutions, data insights, and shared services to serve digitally-minded customers and avoid the challenges of using third-party apps. In 2022, Slice powered 19,000 independent pizzerias.
Slice partners with restaurants in 3,000 cities across all 50 US states. In Feb 2023, the company released its annual “Slice of the Union” report to highlight America’s pizza-eating habits and help local pizzerias thrive. Slice is one of the best alternatives to Uber Eats for buying and selling pizzas. [13]
10. Caviar
Year founded: 2012
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Caviar is a food ordering and delivery service to order food from local restaurants. In 2019, DoorDash acquired Caviar from Square Inc. for $410 million.
The main competitive advantage of Caviar is its integration with DoorDash. Consumers can use their DoorDash login information to set up their accounts on Caviar.
The company operates in several US cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas, Chicago, Manhattan, Brooklyn, Portland, and Philadelphia. As a subsidiary of DoorDash, Caviar has enough resources to compete against Uber Eats. [14]
11. Instacart
Year founded: 2012
Headquarter: San Francisco, California
Instacart is a well-known grocery delivery service in North America. In Jan 2022, the company launched its Ready Meals hub. Customers can use this service to order prepared food from grocery stores. [15]
Instacart specializes in grocery deliveries, but it also allows users to search for and order ready-made meals from grocery stores. As of Feb 2023, the company served customers in over 5,000 cities across North America. Instacart is one of the best alternatives to Uber Eats. [16]
12. SkipTheDishes
Year founded: 2012
Headquarter: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
SkipTheDishes is a Canadian online food delivery service owned by Just Eat Takeaway.com. Users can order and pay for food online from partner restaurants via an app or a web browser. In 2022, SkipTheDishes had around 2,000 employees.
SkipTheDishes operates in over 250 cities across Canada. In Apr 2023, CEO Steve Puchala announced plans to expand the business beyond food delivery. The food-tech firm seeks to leverage its network to deliver other items, such as flowers, pharmaceuticals, pet supplies, and alcohol. SkipTheDishes is one of the top competitors for Uber Eats in Canada. [17]
13. FreshDirect
Year founded: 2002
Headquarter: Bronx, New York
FreshDirect is a leading online grocer and food delivery service. The company delivers high-quality and healthy menu items and creates food experiences for its customers. In 2022, FreshDirect had around 3,000 employees.
FreshDirect is a homegrown NYC brand and part of New York’s food culture. In Jan 2023, the company launched a new brand campaign and platform under the tagline “Food That Delivers You.” The campaign highlights the vibrant NYC culture and people. FreshDirect is one of the top competitors for Uber Eats in New York City. [18]
14. GoPuff
Year founded: 2013
Headquarter: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
GoPuff is a convenience retail delivery service. In Mar 2023, the company cut around 2% of its workforce or 100 employees. The move comes after GoPuff laid off 1,750 workers in 2022. [19]
GoPuff delivers consumer goods and food across over 650 US cities. Users can search food items on the app by name or brand before placing orders. The company expanded into the UK in 2021 after acquiring Dija and Fancy. GoPuff is one of the top Uber Eats competitors.
15. Favor Delivery
Year founded: 2013
Headquarter: Austin, Texas
Favor is a Texas-based on-demand delivery service. The company operates in over 400 towns and cities across Texas. Since 2013, Favor’s over 100,000 contract drivers have completed more than 70 million deliveries.
Favor has tens of thousands of stores and restaurants on its platform. In Jun 2023, the food-tech company celebrated its 10th anniversary by donating 500,000 meals to the Feeding Texas organization. Favor Delivery is one of the best alternatives to Uber Eats in Texas. [20]
References & more information
- Rajagopal, A. (2023, May 19). New Uber Eats features take a bite out of grocery share. Supermarket News
- Guzman, A. (2023, Jun 13). Apps like Uber Eats and Grubhub have come out against the new law, and DoorDash has threatened legal action. Daily Mail
- Wiener-Bronner, D. (2023, Jun 12). Grubhub is laying off 400 employees. CNN
- Vanaik, G. (2023, May 5). DoorDash rides on delivery demand to raise the 2023 core profit forecast. Reuters
- Sweney, M. (2023, Feb 9). Deliveroo cuts 350 jobs after a fall in online orders. The Guardian
- Sandle, P. (2023, Jan 19). Meal delivery firm Deliveroo breaks even as orders dip. Reuters
- PYMNTS (2023, Apr 19). Just Eat’s 14% Drop in Orders Suggests Inflation Taking Toll on Delivery. PYMNTS
- Upton, N. (2022, Aug 18). Waitr Officially Rebrands to ASAP. Food-On-Demand
- Littman, J. (2022, Dec 15). ChowNow lays off 10% of staff. Restaurant Dive
- ChowNow (2023, May 4). Harris Letter Joins ChowNow as Vice President of Sales. PRNewswire
- HungryPanda Ltd (2023, Feb 19). HungryPanda Announces New Brand Identity to Reflect Customer-Centric Values. PRNewswire
- Curry, D. (2023, May 2). Postmates Revenue and Usage Statistics 2023. Business of Apps
- Slice (2023, Feb, 8). Slice’s Annual “Slice of the Union” Report Reveals Valuable Insight into America’s Pizza Habits and 2023 Pizza Trend Predictions. PRNewswire
- Helling, B. (2023, Apr 30). A Beginner’s Guide to Caviar Food Delivery in 2023. Ridester
- Malik, A. (2022, Jan 13). Instacart doubles down on its ready-made meals offering with a new hub and faster delivery. TechCrunch
- TOW Staff (2023, Feb 16). Uber Eats vs. Instacart: Which Side Hustle Pays More? ThisOnlineWorld.com
- Durrani, T. (2023, Apr 5). New SkipTheDishes CEO looks to expand online delivery beyond food. The Globe and Mail
- PN Staff (2023, Jan 3). FreshDirect Launches New Campaign Platform for 2023. Perishable News
- PYMNTS (2023, Mar 10). GoPuff Demand is Apparently Not as Quick as Its Cash Burn. PYMNTS
- Favor (2023, Jun 5). Favor Delivery Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Giving Campaign to Donate 500,000 Meals to Feeding Texas. PRNewswire
- Featured Image by CardMapr.nl
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