Convenience is stretching into Palm Beach County. Uber launched its food delivery service, UberEATS, in Boca Raton this week.
For Leon Bain, being an Uber driver just got a little more interesting. Instead of driving people from place to place, he's delivering food.
Uber introduced the new app “UberEATS" in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties last year. Tuesday, it expanded to Boca Raton with plans to continue into the rest of Palm Beach County shortly.
Brandi Applebaum of Boca Raton has ordered from other food delivery companies in the past.
“We’re definitely switching to a convenience culture and that's where delivery has its positives,” the recent college graduate said.
McDonald's is one restaurant on board early. Local franchisee Ricky Wade said customers, especially millennials, prefer to order at kiosks and have meals delivered; as opposed to the traditional experience.
“They want to build what they want, how they want, and they want to order with some technology in it because their life now revolves around technology,” Wade said.
Other delivery services like DoorDash have seen their sales double in the last year. Panera recently launched its own in-house delivery service. Palm Beach County is home to two delivery companies that focus on serving local restaurants: Delivery Dudes and Cravy.
UberEATS claims its huge pool of existing drivers makes its delivery times shorter. Plus you can watch a driver approach you in real time, similar to how the standard Uber ride-sharing app works.
UberEATS’s base delivery fee of $4.99 is comparable to other services.
“I feel like there is a good mix of chains and local places,” Applebaum said after looking through the options on the UberEATS app.
She said adding this meal delivery service in Boca Raton will make her life more convenient.
McDonald’s said the Big Mac and totes of 13 cookies are some of the most delivered items. Plus many UberEATS customers take advantage of items not available in restaurants like a 40-piece order of chicken McNuggets.