Uber Eats Updates Its App To Pay Tab While Dining In

Uber Eats has introduced a contactless ordering feature that will work when diners are eating in a restaurant as the fight against COVID-19 continues.

USA Today reported the “Uber Eats Contactless Order Feature” allows users to pay the tab with the app while at a restaurant to eliminate the use of bill holders, credit cards and pens.

Uber Eats said it’s easy to use. Customers can scan a QR code at the eatery when dining in and the food will be brought to their table, or users can find a restaurant on the app for takeout and pick up the order later.

“We all have a role to play in keeping each other safe and healthy, and our Contactless Order Feature for both pick-up and dine-in provides another tool for customers and restaurant staff to do just that,” Daniel Danker, senior director of product at Uber Eats, told the newspaper.

The food pickup option will be available everywhere Friday (Sept. 18). The dine-in payment feature will launch in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, New York City, Vermont, and Washington, D.C.

The San Francisco-based company’s app update comes as people rely on food delivery platforms to reduce face-to-face contact with people amid the pandemic. It also comes as governors across the country inch towards re-openings while COVID-19 cases continue to rise.

Last month, Uber Eats was runner-up in PYMNTS’s  Provider Ranking of Aggregator Apps following DoorDash in the No. 1 spot. At No. 3 Grubhub edged up one spot, helped by its recent strong financials. Instacart came in fourth. Finishing off the Top 5 is Deliveroo, in which Amazon is taking a stake.

In July, Uber Technologies agreed to purchase delivery firm Postmates Inc. in an all-stock deal worth $2.65 billion.

“Uber and Postmates have long shared a belief that platforms like ours can power much more than just food delivery, they can be a hugely important part of local commerce and communities, all the more important during crises like COVID-19,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in announcing the deal. “We’re thrilled to welcome Postmates to the Uber family as we innovate together to deliver better experiences for consumers, delivery people, and merchants across the country.”