Now, book an Uber ride for your next dinner via Zomato

The partnership has been rolled out by Zomato to users in 27 cities across 13 countrie

Zomato.com, the restaurant review and food ordering app company, has signed a global tie-up with cab aggregator Uber, to offer “seamless rides” to its consumer when they dine out.

Only a day earlier, it had finalised a deal to buy NexTable, a US-based restaurant reservations and table management platform, its ninth such in the recent past.

The revenue share arrangement from the former deal might emerge at a later stage, if both companies see sizable results from the tie-up. This partnership has been rolled out to Zomato users in 27 cities across 13 countries — India, Australia, Canada, Britain, South Africa, Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Turkey, UAE and America. In India, Zomato is offering the Uber service in Kolkata, Bengaluru. Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad.

The feature is already available to Zomato users in London and South Africa.

The development comes at a time when major e-commerce companies are looking at building a system to generate additional revenue streams. In the case of Zomato, it has forayed into online food ordering, already crowded with several small to midsize companies. It has also rolled out cashless payments in Dubai and plans are afoot to launch this in other key markets. Not likely, though, for India in the near future, owing to inadequate guidelines by government authorities.

In India, leading online travel portals have been active in similar activities, offering hotel bookings and other peripheral businesses, apart from the core business of offering train/airplane tickets.

Pankaj Chaddah, co-founder and operations head of Zomato, said: “We're constantly looking for ways to make every meal, for everyone, a great experience. This partnership makes eating out more convenient, with the Zomato app connecting to Uber services seamlessly.”

Once a user has found a place to dine or have drinks at a place by using the Zomato app, a single tap on the Uber button on the restaurant page will allow one to find the nearest cab on the latter’s platform.

In addition to seeing the estimated fare and how long it will take for the vehicle to arrive, one will also be able to choose the Uber service that best suits one's need. Eric Alexander, head of business, Asia-Uber, said, “We are delighted to be expanding the scope of our partnership with Zomato.”

 

Acquisitions by Zomato

2015 

NextTable, USA

MaplePos, India

Mekanist, Turkey

Urbanspoon, USA

2014

Cibando , Italy

MenuMania in New Zealand

Lunchtime in the Czech Republic

Obedovat in Slovakia

Gastronauci in Poland