Uber Eats Is Waiving Delivery Fees for Restaurants to Promote Business During the Coronavirus Outbreak (Video)

Uber Eats is waiving delivery fees for independent restaurants in an effort to promote business for those struggling while coronavirus continues to disrupt daily life.

The food delivery service is also working to deliver free meals to more than 300,000 healthcare workers as part of their efforts, according to details of their initiative.

"We know the coming weeks will be challenging for many small business owners, and we want to help restaurants focus on food, not finances," Janelle Sallenave, the head of Uber Eats for the U.S. and Canada, told Travel + Leisure. "That's why we're working to drive increased demand to more than 100,000 independent restaurants across the U.S. and Canada with marketing efforts and by waiving our Delivery Fee."

Uber told T+L they expect waiving delivery fees for independent restaurants to result in more orders. In the past, the company noted restaurants have seen more than a 45 percent increase in delivery orders when free delivery promos were implemented.

In such uncertain times, simply ordering from your favorite local restaurant (and tipping) can make a big impact.

To distribute the free meals to those on the front lines, Uber told us the company has been in touch with government officials like mayors and governors as well as social service organizations to distribute promo codes that would allow people to order food they choose from local restaurants.

"Over 90 percent of all restaurants are small- and family-owned with 50 or fewer employees, each restaurant, along with the industry's 15.6 million employees, are facing uncertainty and disruption because of coronavirus," Sean Kennedy, the executive vice president of public affairs for the National Restaurant Association, said in a statement provided to T+L. "Efforts that promote drive-thru, takeout and delivery are important tools to help restaurants continue to serve consumers during challenging times."

Additionally, Uber Eats will allow restaurants to be paid daily, as opposed to weekly, which is the standard. Therese Lim, the head of restaurant product for Uber Eats, said in a statement this has come up as a main concern from restaurants.

"We've heard from restaurants that they're worried about what the health crisis will do to sales, and its impact on cash flow and their ability to pay suppliers or employees," Lim said. "That's why, from today we'll provide restaurants with the option to receive daily payouts rather than waiting until the end of the week to see revenue from deliveries, which can be even more important as delivery becomes a bigger share of their sales during this time."