It’s no surprise Uber’s business has pivoted away from rideshare and more into delivery this year – the demand is there, and Uber already had a business to support it. In this episode, I’m talking to the Senior Director of Product for Uber Eats, Daniel Danker, about the Eats business and the future of delivery.
I spoke to Daniel at the Curbivore conference, which turned out really well! You can access the videos from the conference at the links below – a lot of great conversations there about delivery, the curb, profitability in the food delivery space and more.
Intro to Daniel Danker
- Previously worked on the driver side for Uber
- Drivers are very important, especially for delivery
- No one could have predicted such a swing from rideshare to delivery
- Needed to move quickly to help businesses get on the Uber Eats platform
Biggest Challenges with Pivot to Uber Eats
- Easy to onboard drivers – it’s just the click of a button
- Challenge of onboarding restaurants
- Most restaurants didn’t have a large team to create websites, mobile menus
- Uber Eats created a platform for these restaurants to use
Restaurant Fees + Uber Eats
- Fewer fees when restaurants have pick up options/no delivery required
- Difference between rides and Eats: there are 3 parties
- Consumer, and 2 earners: delivery person and the restaurant
- Fees are designed to make local commerce more successful
Helping Restaurants Connect to Consumers
- Online ordering has been key
- Welcoming newcomers (new customers) and recognizing returning customers
- Providing data to businesses/restaurants
- Ability for restaurants to contact customers
Customer Service Challenges
- Need for Uber Eats to manage complexity and be more intuitive
- Trying to automatically fix issues before the customer flags an issue
- Encourage customers to flag issues in app – no need for customer service interaction
- When customers do reach out, though, the experience could be better
Evolution of Food Delivery
- Continually trying to make it all more efficient – Uber Eats delivery can now bring you food from multiple restaurants
- Post COVID? There will be a correction, but people have gotten used to food delivery. Won’t go away
- Grocery delivery – high frequency, even more than food delivery
- Another opportunity for customers, Uber
Outro
- Thanks to Daniel for coming on the podcast and the conference!
- My first conference I’ve ever put on virtually – had a great team and it went well!
- Make sure to check out all the interviews and panels below
- Excited for the intersection of food delivery, AVs, and rideshare
