Uber Eats Is Now Offering Cross-Country Delivery

If you were feeling lazy more than a decade ago, figuring out how to get food from your favorite restaurant across town without leaving your couch was a challenge. But in the years since, services like Gopuff, DoorDash, and Uber Eats have arrived, and once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, these services became essential for folks stuck at home. According to Forbes, many restaurants used these services to keep their businesses afloat during the pandemic, and their presence has only increased since.

Uber Eats even made news last month when folks found out just how far some "drivers" will go to deliver: Small commercial pilots in Alaska were apparently advertising themselves as Uber Eats drivers and hauling deliveries from restaurants out into the most remote sections of the state.

They're not the only delivery drivers with a pilot's license, either. The nationwide food delivery service Goldbelly launched in 2013 and has continued to have its own exponential growth (via New York Times). DoorDash also joined the nationwide food delivery scene last November, per Food & Wine, and now, Uber Eats has joined the market.

Uber Eats just announced that they are going to be offering nationwide shipping for the first time, noting that the service has been requested by consumers and merchants alike. Uber Eats plans to offer specialty food delivery items to anywhere in the United States from their first wave of partner restaurants with plans to expand in the future. Customers can order certain items from Los Angeles' Bludso's BBQ, Gotta Have S'More, Dreamy Creations, Western Bagel, Lala's Argentine Grill, Lette Macarons, and The Pie Hole; New York City's Sarge's Deli, Juice Press, and Wafels & Dinges; Miami's Sergio's, George Stone Crab, Doggi's Arepa Bar, and Sabores Market; as well as San Francisco's La Fromagerie and Stirred, not Shaken (via Food & Wine). Uber Eats says that these products will all be available in the app and online at Ubereats.com simply by selecting the Nationwide Shipping option and proceeding from there.

According to Food & Wine, an example order showed that shipping from Los Angeles to New York City would take five to seven days to arrive. They note that Uber Eats is also currently offering free shipping on all orders, though the price of foods is notably high. Orders function like any other item requested through Uber Eats: Restaurants prepare the food for shipment themselves while Uber provides the shipping label and an included postcard to go along with the meal.