Uber Eats Review

When you first hear the word “Uber”, probably the first thing that would come across your mind would be the ride hailing app that you use for your daily commute. Who would not think the same? Uber is pretty much established and is known internationally. But, what some people know is that there is an app called Uber Eats. If the Uber app transits people to their desired destination, Uber Eats delivers food to people at the comfort of their homes or wherever they may be.

What is Uber Eats?

This is not the platform where you get to book a ride and let it take you to where you want to go. However, Uber and Uber Eats share the same company. Uber Eats is an online food delivery platform like DoorDash. It was officially launched in 2014 at Sta. Monica, California with Uber as its main company, and was originally branded as Uber Fresh. However, in 2015 it was officially changed to Uber Eats. At present, it has expanded its services to over thirty countries all around the globe, including the United States, United Kingdom, and some parts of Asia. Through this platform, you can order food from their partner restaurants or other food places and have it delivered straight to wherever you want it to be delivered.

How can I use Uber Eats?

To be able to enjoy the services offered by Uber Eats is pretty much simple. You can access it through the Uber Eats website, or you can also download their mobile app on your Android or iOS devices. The process of ordering from these platforms is pretty much the same, so you will not be having a hard time when you want to use different devices to order your food.
Before anything else, you must first make an account and sign up to Uber Eats. Here are short step-by-step instructions on how you can make an account in Uber Eats:

Go to the Google Play Store (for Android users) or App Store (for iOS users), and download and install the Uber Eats app.
Once the app is installed, open the app.
Once the app is opened, you will be asked for your phone number. Type in your phone number, and then tap on Next.
Once you tap on Next, you will be sent a four-digit code to the phone number you previously entered. Enter the code, and then tap on Next.
On the next page, enter your email address, and then tap on Next.
Once you tap on Next, you will be asked to enter your desired account password. Type in your desired account password, and then tap on Next.
On the next page, you will be asked to enter your full name. Type in your first name and your last name, and then tap on Next.
On the following page, you will see a message that says you have to agree with Uber's Terms of Use and you have to read and acknowledge its Privacy Policy. Read the platform's Terms of Use and its Privacy Policy. If you agree with everything stated in there, tap on Next.
Once you tap on Next, you will be asked to enter your location. Type in your address. Or you can also tap on the tab below the address bar that says Allow, for Uber Eats to be the one to search for your location instead.

See? Setting up an account for Uber Eats is easy! Now, of course you would like to order and try out Uber Eats' services. So, here is another step-by-step instruction on how you can order food through Uber Eats.

Open the Uber Eats app.
Once the app is opened, you will be asked for your address or where your order is to be delivered. Type in the required information.
Once you enter the delivery location, set the time and date you want to have your order delivered. You can schedule it for up to a week.
Below the delivery schedule, you will see the available restaurants in your location, the time it will take for them to prepare your order, and the corresponding delivery fee.
Select the restaurant or food place you want to order from, and the food you want to order.
Once you have selected your restaurant and the food you want to order, tap on Add to Cart. You can add special instructions regarding your order before adding it to your cart.
Once you tap on Add to Cart, you will see your order details. Afterward, tap on View Cart to order, additional tip for the restaurant, promo codes, additional orders, and additional requests like inclusion of utensils.
Once you have completed your order details, scroll down the screen to see your total order and delivery cost. Select your preferred payment method for your order. You can pay using Uber credit or cash, your linked debit card, or PayPal.
Once you have selected your preferred payment method, tap on Next.
On the next screen, set the tip you want to give to your delivery person, and then tap on Place Order.

Pros and Cons of Using Uber Eats

PROS	CONS
Shared delivery fee	Some orders may arrive at a later time
Convenience	Multiple fees to pay
More time for other activities
Order tracker
Uber Eats Pass

PROS

Shared delivery fee – Although this does not apply to all order deliveries, there are instances when Uber Eats would offer a shared delivery fee to its customers. This means that a delivery person can take on two orders from two different customers at the same time, and have them share the delivery fee. The only downside with this is that your orders may arrive at a later time, but still, who would not want to have a lower delivery cost, right?

Convenience – The main service Uber Eats offers its customers is convenience. Who would not want to have already cooked food after a long day of working? Or if you are too tired or too busy to go out and buy yourself food from the restaurant, food delivered straight right to your doorstep would sound extremely nice.
More time for other activities – Having your food delivered straight right at your doorstep rather than cooking and preparing it yourself would give you additional time to do whatever you want. The time you consume in preparing your food can be allotted to a more important activity like finishing a task or even just a short time for yourself.

Order tracker – Another cool feature included in the Uber Eats platform is that you can actually track the real time progress of your order until it is delivered to where you are or where you want it to be delivered. This allows you to monitor if your food is actually being prepared and how much time you still have to wait until your food arrives.

Uber Eats Pass – Uber Eats also offers its so-called Eats Pass. This is a subscription where you have to pay a monthly bill of $10. By subscribing to Eats Pass, you will not have to pay for any delivery fee and you will have a five percent discount for orders ranging over fifteen dollars. This is mainly favorable if you frequently order food from Uber Eats and it will allow you to save a few extra bucks. You can avail this Eats Pass subscription by going to the Eats Pass website and register your subscription from there.

CONS

Some orders may arrive at a later time - Not all the time, your orders will arrive at the exact scheduled time stated on the app or in the website. There might be several factors that can cause the delay of your orders like the preparation time from the restaurant itself, or some unexpected delay on part of the driver while your order is being travelled to your location. As someone who ordered through a food delivery platform, you should always expect these kinds of delays really do happen and you should broaden your patience when you wait for your order to arrive.

Multiple fees to pay – When you are ordering your food from a food delivery platform rather than cooking and preparing the food yourself or going out to the restaurant and ordering the food yourself, you must always keep in mind that there would always be additional costs to pay. You will not only be paying for the food, but also for the delivery fee corresponding to your order. But if you feel like you want to have more time doing more important stuff and you have an extra buck on your wallet, the additional fee should not be a big deal since you are paying for another person to do all the work for you.

Uber Eats fees

If you want to have an idea how the pricing system goes at Uber Eats aside from the price of the food you ordered, here is a look at how much Uber Eats charges for its additional fees so that you will have an idea of how much you are going to pay the next time you order your food through Uber Eats.

FEE	COST
Delivery fee	$ 3.99
Service fee	15% of your total order price
Sales tax	$ 1.26
Driver's tip	$ 1 minimum

Please keep in mind that the cost mentioned above is not the exact cost you will have to pay. Some fees may vary and it may change from higher to lower, depending on the restaurant you will be ordering from, the delivery method, or other factors. You might think that there are a lot of fees to pay when using this platform. However if you look at it from a different perspective, it is almost the same as when you have to do the ordering from the restaurant yourself. The cost you would also have to pay for your fare if you commute or for car fuel plus doing the task yourself is almost the same.

Uber Eats in a nutshell

FEATURES	SERVICES
Accessibility	Mobile app, internet browser
Places available	Over thirty countries across the globe including United States, United Kingdom, some parts of Europe, some parts of Africa, some parts of Asia, some parts of Pacific, and some parts of Central America
Eats Pass subscription	$10 subscription fee
Sales tax	$ 1.26
Service fee	15% of your total order price
Delivery fee	$ 3.99
Driver's tip	$ 1 minimum
Payment method	PayPal, Uber Credit/Cash, Debit Card

Should I consider trying out Uber Eats for my next food delivery?

With the recent outbreak of the pandemic, many people have been keen on avoiding being infected by the virus as much as possible. Even national governments have been constantly reminding its citizens to stay at home and avoid public places as much as possible. Even work and school have been home based for the past year until now, and although recently the situation has been more laidback and people are now allowed to go out of their homes, there are still limits to their movement compared to when life was more “normal”. Due to this, delivery services have popped up in the marketplace. Many companies have tried to get their hands on establishing different kinds of delivery platforms that would cater to the needs of the people. Although food delivery platforms have already been around even before the pandemic, it has become more popular since most people have been confined to their homes and have minimal to no access to go outside and buy stuff or anything they want like they used to do. It has also become another means for the people to still enjoy some of the things they love to have and protect themselves and the people around them from being infected at the same time.

By using food delivery platforms like Uber Eats, you are not only protecting your health, but the convenience it offers is also a major plus. Since nowadays most classes and work are done from home, imagine going through a day’s work or lecture aside from still having to do some chores around your house and attending to family members or roommates, and you realize that you would still have to cook and prepare your food. Sounds tiring, right? Or, if you want to spend more time resting or doing other stuff, but the food preparation process takes out a huge amount of your time. If you are not a person who loves cooking and takes comfort in the process of preparing a meal, then, it would definitely add to the stress and chore you have. Or, you want to send food to a friend or loved one but you simply just can’t go out to do it yourself. That is when food delivery platforms like Uber Eats come into the picture. By just a few taps on your smartphones, you can expect food to be delivered your way or wherever you want it to be delivered. Uber Eats takes pride in offering convenience to its customers most especially during this time of pandemic. Who would not want to have their food delivered straight at them most especially after a long and tiring day? Or, if you are craving your favorite food at your go-to restaurant but you just cannot be bothered to go there and order it yourself. Then, using Uber Eats would definitely be great for you! Sure, it comes with some additional fees compared to when you make the order yourself. But, if you look at it from a different perspective, the fees are totally understandable since you are paying another person to order and deliver the food to you. Plus, by using this platform most especially these days where many people have been fired from their jobs due to the pandemic, you are giving them another chance to be employed and earn for themselves and their families. So, both parties benefit either way. So, if you are still wondering whether you should try Uber Eats or not, stop with the second thoughts and use this platform for your next food order!