Seattle-based retail powerhouse Amazon announced today it will be delivering food in Chicago from restaurants in 18 zip codes across the city through its Prime Now program.
Initial restaurants include 5411 Empanadas, M Burger, Wildfire, Native Foods Café, Umami Burger, and many others. Zip codes covered include the Loop and neighborhoods north up to and including Lakeview.
Amazon already offers two-hour delivery of groceries and other select items through the same program to a wider range of Chicago zip codes.
“Chicago is home to just about every kind of cuisine you could want,” said Gus Lopez, general manager, Amazon Restaurants in a statement. “We’re excited to offer Amazon Prime customers a quick and convenient way to enjoy some of the city’s best restaurants without having to fight traffic or brave the cold.”
Customers will place food orders through the Prime Now mobile app, and Amazon drivers will pick the food up and bring it to the customer, with real time tracking information on the delivery status made available to customers along the way.
For the time being, restaurant deliveries will be made at no additional charge to Prime members, who pay $99 yearly for a number of benefits including expedited shipping, video streaming, and photo storage.
According to Amazon, the average restaurant delivery time for Prime Now — which is already available in select US cities including LA and Austin, as well as its native Seattle — is 39 minutes.
“We are looking forward to working with Amazon because like us, they stand for flawless service and incredible value,” said Kimberly Galban of One Off Hospitality Group, which manages several restaurants participating in the program, in a statement. “We are thrilled to partner with Amazon in what will likely change the restaurant delivery market in Chicago."
Chicagoans are not lacking in options for food delivery.
, a national food delivery titan, started out in Chicago, and has since merged with New York’s Seamless, which also delivers to Chicagoans. Other competitors include Caviar, , and Uber’s UberEats program.
Image via Shutterstock.
Have a tip for us, or know of a startup that deserves coverage? Send us an email via [email protected].
.png)
