Uber is acquiring ezCater for $2.3 billion in cash, a deal that deepens Uber Eats’ push beyond everyday restaurant deliveries into full catering services. As part of the purchase, Uber will bring on a platform used by businesses seeking meals for large groups—an “Expedia-style” marketplace for food providers to connect with corporate clients. Uber says ezCater generated over $2.5 billion in gross bookings in the past year. The startup was bootstrapped until 2014, when it took on its first institutional capital.
Why the Move Matters
Uber’s CEO views catering as a major new revenue opportunity for restaurants, one largely untapped by food delivery apps. The logic is that workplaces and events place bulk orders less often but at higher value—orders often large, complex and profitable. By integrating ezCater, Uber aims to give restaurants access to that segment while expanding its footprint among businesses planning large-scale meals.
This isn’t Uber’s only big venture in the food space. In parallel with the ezCater acquisition, Uber is moving forward with its $15 billion deal to acquire Delivery Hero, and has been investing in drone delivery through partners like Zipline and Flytrex—demonstrating a broad strategy to dominate various modes of food logistics and delivery services.
ezCater’s Positioning and Past
Founded in 2007, ezCater grew by bootstrapping for seven years and stayed independent until it raised its first $4 million in 2014. Since then, it has expanded into a leading onestop platform for workplace meals and event catering, serving businesses needing multi-meal or large-group solutions. Uber says the company’s recent annual gross orders exceed $2.5 billion—already a sizable business in its own right.
The acquisition seeks to fold that network and expertise into Uber Eats, enabling Uber to layer catering offerings on top of its existing restaurant-delivery base. Restaurants on its platform will likely gain exposure to corporate accounts and large group customers they may otherwise not reach.
The deal also reflects Uber’s strategy to reimagine how food gets delivered—not just to individual consumers, but across enterprise and event-heavy contexts. Uber’s recent investments in drone delivery technology (via Zipline and Flytrex) show its interest in more efficient, scalable logistics for all kinds of deliveries.
What to Watch Next: how Uber integrates ezCater’s technology and logistics into Eats, if it brings new service tiers or delivery models, and whether restaurants see this as a net gain or complication. Also worth monitoring: how this shifts competitive dynamics with other corporate meal platforms.
Overall, Uber’s $2.3 billion purchase of ezCater signals an ambitious push into catering—an area it clearly sees as foundational for its next phase of Eats growth and margin expansion. By buying existing scale rather than building from scratch, Uber is placing a big bet on the value of food services for groups, events, and businesses. Watch how quickly this bet pays off.
