Uber to begin delivery of restaurant meals

Ride-sharing company Uber will begin offering its meal delivery service in Albuquerque, starting today.

UberEats will deliver food from the full menus of more than 50 Albuquerque restaurants, including Blake’s Lotaburger, California Pastrami, Cocina Azul, Hello Poke and Vibrance.

“We’re excited to bring more delivery options to the people of Albuquerque,” said UberEats Manager Clay Carroll.

The Albuquerque rollout marks the company’s 99th UberEats city and its first entry into the New Mexican food delivery market. UberEats will not be available in nearby areas like Rio Rancho, though Carroll said he hopes to expand into other communities soon.

“We’re always looking for more restaurants to work with,” he said.

To use the service, customers need to either download the UberEats app or access the UberEats website. The service is available seven days a week, though the participating hours of each restaurant vary. The charge includes a $5.99 booking fee, plus the cost of food and tax.

For Uber drivers, the announcement means they can now elect to deliver food in addition to — or instead of — picking up riders, by adjusting the settings in their app. According to the company, “there are thousands of driver partners across New Mexico and there are tens of thousands of rides a month across the state.”

Carroll said Uber doesn’t plan to hire additional drivers specifically for the UberEats rollout.

Uber’s food delivery program is a bright spot for a company that has been plagued in recent years by accusations of sexism, lawsuits and federal investigations.