Uber Eats now lets merchants message customers about their orders

https://techcrunch.com/2025/07/31/uber-eats-now-lets-merchants-message-customers-about-their-orders/

With the new “Live order chat” feature, merchants can message customers in real-time to do things like confirm replacements for sold-out items, clarify special requests, and check in on dietary or allergy preferences.

Uber states that users can’t initiate chats with merchants, as customers can only message merchants if they have contacted them first. Live order chat is available for both delivery and pickup orders, and ends once the food has been handed off to a courier or customer for pickup.

The launch of the new feature comes three months after Uber Eats rival DoorDash announced the ability for merchants to chat directly with customers to resolve order issues.

As for the new AI tools for merchants, Uber Eats is launching AI-powered summaries of customer reviews to make it easier to understand feedback at scale. Plus, Uber Eats is rolling out AI-generated item descriptions for menus to help users make informed decisions when deciding what to order.