Foodie Trends For 2016 – Uber Does More Than Commute

What is Uber?

You probably answered to yourself, “Uber is a super convenient, inexpensive, safe way to get around. It’s summoning a private driver to pick me up in his or her own car and take me where I want to go, all with the tap of a button on my smartphone.”

Congratulations. That certainly is the right answer, but it isn’t the only answer.

Uber does more than commute, and as we look at foodie trends for 2016, we’re going to tell you why Uber does more than drive people where they want to go.

Then, we’ll look at a few more trends when it comes to ordering food from your restaurant.

Uber Moves Anything

According to Wired, Uber isn’t a taxi company. It’s a delivery company, moving people and products.

Uber’s mantra is to make getting anything in your city more convenient, affordable and reliable than picking it up yourself.

They are ready to help not only the consumer, but small businesses, like your restaurant, move their products in a cost-effective and efficient way. Their desire is to unclog the roadways and make getting what people need easier.

To this end, you now find Uber delivering food from restaurants straight to your customer’s door through UberEATS.

Take a Look at UberEATS

This powerful app for iOS and Android users makes it easy for people to enjoy food from your restaurant without making the effort to get dressed and leave the house.

The dedicated app offers this delivery service in many cities across the globe with more adding soon.

You might even call this new service provided by Uber as the delivery revolution. It allows customers to order their favorite food from your restaurant without ever leaving the comfort of their sofa.

Now, let’s look at how it works for you.

Uber for Your Restaurant

Uber says their drivers are the fastest way to get food to your customers.

First, you sign up for UberEATS. They feature your food in the app where new customers can find it for the first time, and loyal customers can come back again and again and dine with ease.

Then, once your customers order from you, Uber quickly delivers the food. How can they do it more quickly than you?

It’s simple. They have hundreds of couriers on the road, while you may only have one or two delivery drivers. On the UberEATS website, they claim they can deliver food in an average of 14 minutes.

This is ideal for maintaining the quality of your food.

Another bonus of the app is that you can track the orders from your restaurant right to your customer’s front door. So, you know exactly how long it took for the order to be delivered.

UberEATS helps you set up your account and promote your menu. They also work with you on pickup and delivery times are find ways to improve them if needed.

They are dedicated to testing, learning and revising to boost your sales volume, make your customers happy and keep everything running smoothly and quickly.

The UberEATS service allows you to expand your virtual dining room with the end goal of an increase in sales and profits.

It’s also a positive for your customers. When they order, they’re given a delivery time. They can then track their order as it’s being prepared, learn when it’s ready and find out when a courier picks up the order from your restaurant. You are then able to track the driver much as you can in the regular Uber app.

Downsides of UberEATS

While this trend in outside restaurant delivery is sure to continue as others, like Amazon, jump onto the bandwagon, there are a few downsides.

First, you have no control over your food and the provided customer service once the meal leaves your restaurant.

Second, you need to stay on top of the system constantly evaluating it for weak links and working to solidify the process.

Third, your customers are paying more for your food as you’ll have to build in the Uber cost into the price of your customers’ meals.

Lastly, UberEATS isn’t available everywhere yet, so to utilize the service, you’ll need to reside in one of their current cities.

Now let’s look at a few other foodie trends that involve food ordering.

Online Ordering Overtakes Phone Orders

More than 70% of customers prefer to order their food online than over the phone. This rising trend means that in the very near future, your online orders will overtake phone orders.

Why? It’s just that much easier for your customers.

They can take their time perusing your online menu. They aren’t rushed.

They don’t have to wait on hold or try to hear what your staff member is saying with the background noise in your restaurant.

For you, online ordering means less mistakes. Your customers have control of their orders, so this means less problems on your end. (tweet this)

Online ordering is also cheaper for you as it saves staff time.

Delivery Ordering Increases

As online ordering increases, it only makes sense that delivery ordering increases right beside it.

This is just one reason we’ve seen a rise in companies like UberEATS. Delivery companies saw a need, and they filled it. This delivery phenomenon is driven especially in large cities because of the convenience factor.

So, the question to ponder is whether you use UberEATS, another service, or you deliver it yourself.

Whichever way you choose, delivery allows you to expand your market and meet the needs of more customers. (tweet this)

Delivery Goes Driver-less

This is one trend experts see on the horizon. With the creation of driver-less cars in our very near future, it could be that cars could delivery your menu items with ease.

The driver-less car just might make the roads safer and streamline the process.

Are Drones a Possibility?

Amazon is delivering packages with drones, so is it so far-fetched to think drones might start delivering food from your restaurant?

It is possible and most likely on the horizon when it comes to foodie trends. It sure would be a quicker way to get your food delivered quickly and efficiently to your customers.

Final Thoughts

We are a society of convenience. The digital age has led this charge.

With people wanting things with a sense of immediacy, it makes perfect sense that the foodie trends of 2016 would involve near-instant delivery of restaurant food.

Yes, Uber does more than commute, but you can expect others in the marketplace to follow suit and develop their own food delivery options.

If you want to stay on-trend, food delivery is one area for you to look into.

Do you have a great website with an online menu for ordering? Is it user-friendly and enticing to your website visitors? If not, or you’d like a website tune-up and refresh, contact us for your free website consultation. We’ll make sure your website works for your site visitors and is the centerpiece of your marketing.

Images:  Why Kei and Paweł Wojciechowski