UberEats opens Thursday, initially just in central Tokyo, ranging from simple dishes costing just hundreds of yen to Michelin-star dining at the equivalent of hundreds of dollars.
Delivery is free at first, although fees are expected to be added at a later date. Consumers download a software application in iOS, Android or a desktop version to choose food off menus from 150 restaurants.
Drivers hired by UberEats are tapped online, pick up food at restaurants, and make deliveries, ensuring food arrives relatively hot and fresh. The global average for deliveries is about a half hour.
Ride-sharing has stumbled in Japan partly because of a strong taxi lobby. Uber offers just a high-end taxi service in Japan, and has begun a limited ride-sharing in a rural area, where populations are declining, Uber Japan Co. President Masami Takahashi said Wednesday.
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Daisuke Nomura, owner and chef of Sougo, a Michelin two-star restaurant, hopes UberEats will help not only Japanese but also visitors from abroad rediscover the delights of his traditional shoujin-style cooking.
"I have used the car service, and so I trust the brand and the quality of its service," he told reporters in Tokyo.
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