SANTA MONICA, Calif. -- uber seems to enjoy stepping on toes. The upstart vehicle-for-hire and rideshare service has taxi companies up in arms over customer poaching and licensing requirements. And fresh on the heels of its "Corner Store" convenience store and drug store product delivery service pilot that has some retailers in those channels wondering whether they should be worried, uber has announced the uberFRESH lunch delivery service.
Starting Aug. 26 and going through Sept. 5, the company is testing uberFRESH in Santa Monica, Calif. Any customer in that market with the Uber app can order lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Its tagline is "Hungry to Happy in Under 10 Minutes."
The one-item-per-day, four-item menu includes:
- Tuesday: Rustic Chicken Soup & Romaine Hearts Caesar Salad from Tender Greens.
- Wednesday Farmer's Market Salad from 41 Ocean.
- Thursday: Large Godmother with The Works (mild) from Bay Cities Italian Deli & Bakery.
- Friday: Roasted Roma Tomato Soup & Baby Arugula Salad from Tender Greens.
- Every meal includes a complimentary cookie from Cookie Good.
It does not offer the service on Mondays or weekends. There is no delivery fee, but all meals are priced at $12. Delivery is curbside (drivers do not enter buildings).
Will the quick-service restaurant and grab-and-go c-store foodservice channels take notice? Or is this just a drive-by phenomenon that will run out of gas?
Launched in 2009, uber operates in more than 70 cities.