--- title: "Lessons from Uber Eats: how it won" description: "How Uber Eats won, how to copy its best moves in your city, and where it is weak. A free, sourced playbook for local delivery founders." canonical: https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/uber-eats/ --- # What Uber Eats can teach your delivery business. Uber's delivery service, ordering restaurant meals, groceries and retail goods through the Uber Eats app and delivering them with Uber's courier network. [See how they won](#winning-moves)[Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book) - Region Americas - Headquarters San Francisco, United States - Founded 2014 - Owner Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) At a glance ## How Uber Eats works Uber Eats charges restaurants and stores a commission per order, with tiers that buy more visibility, and charges customers delivery and service fees. It sells restaurant food, grocery, convenience and retail, and also earns from advertising such as sponsored listings, from the Uber One membership, and from Uber Direct delivery for merchants' own channels. Status as of October 2026 Uber keeps expanding delivery through deals: it agreed in 2025 to buy 85 percent of Trendyol Go in Turkey, Turkish regulators cleared its purchase of Getir's delivery business in 2026, and in May 2026 it raised its stake in Delivery Hero to 19.5 percent. In March 2026 it raised marketplace fees for US restaurants. - Uber Eats started as UberFRESH in Santa Monica, California, in August 2014 and was renamed in 2015. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber_Eats) - Uber's Delivery segment had 27.463 billion dollars of gross bookings in the second quarter of 2026, up 26 percent year over year. [Business Wire (Uber)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260805020613/en/) - In its first quarter 2026 results, Uber reported 50 million Uber One members, who drove half of its gross bookings across mobility and delivery. [Uber Q1 2026 earnings release](https://app.edgar.tools/filing/1543151/0001543151-26-000019/uberq126earningspressrelea.htm) - Uber Eats shut down in Italy on July 15, 2023, saying the business had not grown enough to be sustainable. [The Local Italy](https://www.thelocal.it/20230615/uber-to-shut-down-food-delivery-service-in-italy) - In May 2025 Uber agreed to buy an 85 percent stake in Turkish delivery app Trendyol Go for 700 million dollars in cash. [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-06/uber-to-buy-700-million-stake-in-turkish-delivery-app-trendyol) - In May 2026 Uber raised its stake in Delivery Hero to 19.5 percent of issued capital, plus a further 5.6 percent in options. [Pulse 2.0](https://pulse2.com/delivery-hero-uber-increases-stake-to-19-5-in-further-endorsement-of-everyday-app-strategy/) How they won ## Uber Eats's four winning moves What they did, why it worked, and how you can run the same move in one city on a small budget. 1. 01 ### Reuse the drivers and the app What they did Uber built Eats on top of its existing driver network and app framework rather than from scratch. A Toronto team built the standalone app in a 100 day sprint, starting from a lunchtime experiment with preloaded meals in cars. Why it worked Drivers, payments and customers were already in place, so Uber could test cheaply, learn fast and scale city by city. Copy it locally If you already run a taxi, courier or restaurant business, use your existing drivers and customer list as the base for a delivery app. Test one neighborhood and a short menu at lunchtime before going citywide. [Source: BetaKit](https://betakit.com/?p=399250) 2. 02 ### One membership across services What they did Uber One bundles benefits across rides and delivery. By early 2026 it had 50 million members, who generated half of Uber's gross bookings. Why it worked Members who pay a fee consolidate their spending on Uber, which lifts order frequency and makes customers less likely to switch apps. Copy it locally Create a simple paid membership that covers everything you sell in your city, such as free delivery on food and groceries plus member-only deals. Keep the price low and make cancelling easy. [Source: Uber Q1 2026 earnings release](https://app.edgar.tools/filing/1543151/0001543151-26-000019/uberq126earningspressrelea.htm) 3. 03 ### Commission tiers restaurants can choose What they did In 2021 Uber Eats introduced Lite, Plus and Premium plans for US restaurants at 15, 25 and 30 percent commission. Higher tiers added homepage placement, membership benefits and matched ad spend. Why it worked Restaurants that objected to one high fee could pick a cheaper plan, while those wanting more orders paid for visibility. Copy it locally Offer two or three plans: a low commission plan with basic listing and a higher plan with featured placement and promotions. It makes your pricing easier to sell to skeptical restaurants. [Source: Nation's Restaurant News](https://www.nrn.com/news/uber-eats-and-postmates-introduce-tiered-commission-pricing-operators-starting-15) 4. 04 ### Sell ads inside the app What they did Uber turned its apps into an ad channel, with sponsored listings on Uber Eats as a main driver plus sponsored items for grocery and retail brands. Its advertising business passed a 1 billion dollar annual run rate in mid 2024. Why it worked Ads earn high-margin revenue from merchants who want to stand out, without raising prices for customers. Copy it locally Sell featured spots on your home screen and category pages to local restaurants and stores at a flat weekly price. Even a handful of paying merchants can cover a meaningful share of running costs. [Source: AdNews](https://adnews.com.au/news/uber-advertising-jumps-past-1-billion) Where they are weak ## Three gaps you can use against Uber Eats Every giant has blind spots. These are the ones a focused local operator can turn into an advantage. - ### Rising fees for restaurants In March 2026 Uber Eats raised US marketplace fees, lifting its Lite delivery tier from 15 to 20 percent and some custom rates by 3 points. Uber said the money would be reinvested to drive demand, but restaurants pay more per order. [Source: Restaurant Dive](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/uber-eats-increases-marketplace-fees/814294/) - ### Leaves markets where it cannot lead Uber Eats closed in Italy in 2023 after seven years, saying the business had not grown enough to be sustainable against strong rivals. A global platform focused on being first or second in a market may leave smaller cities and countries underserved. [Source: The Local Italy](https://www.thelocal.it/20230615/uber-to-shut-down-food-delivery-service-in-italy) - ### Membership scrutiny In April 2025 the US FTC sued Uber, alleging people were enrolled in Uber One without consent and that cancelling was hard. Uber denied the claims and said cancelling now takes seconds in the app. [Source: KCRG (Associated Press)](https://www.kcrg.com/2025/04/21/ftc-sues-uber-alleging-it-signed-up-uber-one-subscribers-without-their-permission/) Build it with Ordering.co ## The tools to run Uber Eats's playbook in your city Each of these features is included in every Ordering.co plan. [See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/) - ### Driver app for deliveries Put the drivers you already have from your taxi, courier or restaurant business on the driver app, the local version of Uber's reuse the drivers and the app move. - ### Scheduled menus Show a short menu only at lunchtime on certain days so you can test one neighborhood cheaply, as Uber did with its reuse the drivers and the app move. - ### Loyalty levels Reward repeat customers with loyalty tiers so they concentrate their orders in your app, a loyalty take on Uber's one membership across services move. - ### Store invoices Set custom commissions for each store so restaurants can pick a lower or higher plan, as in Uber Eats' commission tiers restaurants can choose move. - ### Marketplace business listing Use featured stores and ribbons as the extra visibility that comes with your higher commission plan, the way Uber Eats ties placement to its commission tiers restaurants can choose move. - ### Ad banners Sell promotional banners in your ordering channels to local restaurants and stores at a flat weekly price, copying Uber's sell ads inside the app move. More lessons ## Learn from other giants [All giants](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/) - [AmericasDoorDashUS based local commerce platform that connects consumers with restaurants, grocers and retailers and delivers their orders through independent couriers called Dashers.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/doordash/) - [AmericasiFoodBrazil's dominant food delivery app, connecting hundreds of thousands of restaurants, couriers and shops with tens of millions of customers.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/ifood/) - [AmericasInstacartNorth American grocery delivery marketplace and technology provider that lets shoppers order from local grocers, fulfilled by personal shoppers, and sells e-commerce tools to retailers.](https://www.ordering.co/resources/lessons-from-the-giants/instacart/) ## Sources 1. [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber_Eats) 2. [Business Wire (Uber)](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260805020613/en/) 3. [Uber Q1 2026 earnings release](https://app.edgar.tools/filing/1543151/0001543151-26-000019/uberq126earningspressrelea.htm) 4. [The Local Italy](https://www.thelocal.it/20230615/uber-to-shut-down-food-delivery-service-in-italy) 5. [Bloomberg](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-06/uber-to-buy-700-million-stake-in-turkish-delivery-app-trendyol) 6. [Pulse 2.0](https://pulse2.com/delivery-hero-uber-increases-stake-to-19-5-in-further-endorsement-of-everyday-app-strategy/) 7. [BetaKit](https://betakit.com/?p=399250) 8. [Nation's Restaurant News](https://www.nrn.com/news/uber-eats-and-postmates-introduce-tiered-commission-pricing-operators-starting-15) 9. [AdNews](https://adnews.com.au/news/uber-advertising-jumps-past-1-billion) 10. [Restaurant Dive](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/uber-eats-increases-marketplace-fees/814294/) 11. [KCRG (Associated Press)](https://www.kcrg.com/2025/04/21/ftc-sues-uber-alleging-it-signed-up-uber-one-subscribers-without-their-permission/) Ordering.co is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Uber Eats. Names and trademarks belong to their owners and are used here for commentary and education. Facts come from the public sources listed on this page, checked in October 2026. ## Build your own Uber Eats, for your city. Tell us your market and what you want to launch. We will show you how Ordering.co runs the stores, orders, payments and delivery behind it. [Book a demo](https://www.ordering.co/contact/?meeting=demo#book)[See all features](https://www.ordering.co/features/all-features/)