Uber follows Google, forays into Indian food delivery space with UberEATS

Will enable restaurants to register themselves to reach out to more customers, expand business

After Google’s entry into Indian food delivery sector with Aero, the world’s largest cab aggregator Uber is looking to do the same with its UberEATS service set to launch in India in the second quarter of the current financial year. 

Powered by the same technology that makes its transport mobile app efficient and cost-effective, ordering food from UberEATS will most likely be as easy as requesting a ride. 

Not only will it give consumers, restaurant partners, and delivery partners more options, restaurants can even register themselves in order to reach out to more customers.

The launch will be headed by Manan Javeri, former McKinsey executive who joined Uber in 2015, reported The Economic Times. He will most likely directly report to Uber's Asia Pacific head Allen Penn. 

UberEATS has been hiring city general managers, city-level restaurant operations managers as well as branding and sales heads across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, Chennai and Gurugram, the report added. 

The US-based company had started UberEATS in 2014 as a small delivery pilot in Los Angeles. Since then, it has been expanded to become a stand-alone app. It is currently available in 58 cities globally, including Bangkok, Singapore, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Taipei. 

"I am incredibly excited about bringing UberEATS to India. This is a significant investment, it spans across multiple cities and regions, and it has the potential to change the food industry - with the push of a button - in one of the most vibrant food cultures in the world," UberEATS Asia Pacific Head Allen Penn said in a blog post. 

This comes at a time when major food delivery chains, including Zomato and Swiggy are looking to expand their business nationally. Similarly, food applications and websites like FreshMenu, Faasos, Holachef are rapidly marking their footprints in Mumbai, Bengaluru and other cities. 

While the company has not shared the launch date for the app, it is working on setting up a network of restaurants, restaurant partners and delivery partners in India.