Uber Eats launches $5m fund to help restaurants through the COVID-19 crisis
Uber Eats has announced a $5 million fund to help restaurants in Australia and New Zealand keep delivering food through the ongoing coronavirus crisis.
The hospitality sector is reeling as a government ban on non-essential gatherings of more than 100 people pushes foodservice operators to the brink of collapse.
The fund will be available to the more than 22,000 restaurants on its platform to help them stay open as customers stay home.
In addition, restaurants won't have to pay a service fee on pickup orders until June 30. Uber Eats is also giving restaurants the option of receiving daily payments instead of once a week during the coronavirus pandemic.
The food delivery platform also said it will waive activation fees for new restaurants that want to sign up, and extend the reach of its platform to include caterers.
Restaurant and Catering Association CEO Wes Lambert said the hospitality sector has “felt the full force of the coronavirus outbreak”.
"These measures by Uber are very welcome as they allow small businesses to quickly pivot to still be able to serve great food, keep their doors open and keep staff working throughout these difficult times,” he said.
Uber Eats has also pledged to deliver 25,000 meals to hospital staff and frontline workers.
"We believe these measures are the right thing to do, but we will continue to monitor the situation to ensure we are doing our best to provide certainty, stability and support to the entire community in this time of need," Uber Eats regional general manager for APAC Jodie Auster said.
Sheridan Randall, 20th March 2020
