More McDonald’s customers can now get Big Macs without leaving the house.
McDonald’s Corp. has expanded its McDelivery program through UberEats to several new markets, the company said Wednesday, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Phoenix and Columbus, Ohio.
The quick-service chain now offers delivery at more than 1,000 restaurants, and the Oak Brook, Ill.-based operator promised that more locations will get the service.
The expansion follows a successful pilot test in Florida, which McDonald’s said generated high customer satisfaction and consistent growth.
“We’re not testing; we’re rolling out,” McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook told reporters in March.
Delivery has rapidly become the largest single trend in the restaurant industry, as chains race to bring the service to their restaurants around the country.
Operators from McDonald’s to The Cheesecake Factory are working on delivery, and numerous other brands in just about every segment. McDonald’s is in a race with its primary competitors, Burger King and Wendy’s, to expand delivery. Wendy’s is testing delivery in Columbus, Ohio, with DoorDash.
McDonald’s is well familiar with delivery. The company said it is already one of the largest providers of delivered food around the globe, generating nearly $1 billion in delivery sales across company-owned and franchised restaurants last year alone.
Much of McDonald’s delivery is in Asia and the Middle East, where the company said some restaurants generate as much as 40 percent of sales from delivery.
But in most cases, McDonald’s operates its own delivery service. In the U.S., the company said it can rapidly expand delivery by using UberEats.
“McDonald’s restaurant footprint, combined with the cutting-edge innovation of the UberEats platform, positions us well to meet consumer demand for fast and reliable delivery, making this an ideal partnership,” Easterbrook said in a statement.
For UberEats, the partnership is huge. McDonald’s is the biggest restaurant chain in the U.S. in terms of sales, averaging $2.5 million per unit across 14,000 locations.
“We are thrilled to expand our partnership with McDonald’s in the U.S. to bring the ease and reliability of Uber’s technology to deliver customers’ favorite menu items,” Jason Droege, head of UberEverything, said in a statement.
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