Amazon’s full foray into restaurant delivery is in full swing, the retailer announced Tuesday, confirming earlier reports that the company was entering the food-courier arena in its hometown of Seattle.
Using the Prime Now mobile app, Amazon Prime customers can view a list of participating restaurants, browse menus, place orders and track the status of those orders, the company said. Once an order is placed, Amazon delivery drivers pick up the food and deliver it in under an hour. There is no associated delivery fee, as Prime customers pay annually for Prime membership and its associated delivery services.
“Prime members can now enjoy food from the Seattle restaurants they love without having to drive all over the city,” said Gus Lopez, general manager of Amazon Restaurants. “For many of these restaurants, this is the first time they are offering delivery, and we are delighted they have chosen to work with us.”
While Amazon’s restaurant service is currently available in the Seattle market only, online job postings for its new Amazon Restaurants division indicate the company’s interest in expanding meal delivery into other U.S. cities. At least 15 open positions based in Seattle and New York are listed on the retailer’s website.
While the company’s restaurant efforts are “focused on Seattle” at the moment, it wants the service to continue to grow, Lopez told CNET.
Participating restaurants currently include Cactus, Wild Ginger, Skillet, Ten Mercer and Marination Station.
The retailer had launched a meal-ordering system through its Amazon Local platform in December, but restaurants themselves were responsible for handling delivery and many participated in a takeout-only capacity.
Amazon’s shift into full-blown restaurant delivery pits the e-commerce giant against a number of food-courier companies such as Postmates and GrubHub, as well as relative newcomers Groupon To Go and UberEATS.
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