Acquisition will make ordering food for groups even easier and create more high-value catering orders for restaurants
SAN FRANCISCO & BOSTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: UBER) and ezCater, Inc. today announced that they have entered into an agreement for Uber to acquire ezCater, a leading U.S. platform for catering and workplace meals, in an all-cash transaction valued at $2.3 billion.
ezCater makes it easy for any business to manage its food needs and order from over 140,000 restaurants nationwide. Its platform supports everything from meetings, events, and recurring enterprise catering needs, with tools to manage ordering and food spend and 24/7 customer support.
The acquisition will bring together ezCater’s proven catering and B2B expertise, Uber Eats’ global reach among consumers and restaurants, and Uber for Business’s deep relationships with organizations of all sizes. Restaurants will be able to grow through larger orders and new diners. Customers will be able to find and order food for a group more simply and reliably, from workplace meals, to events, and social gatherings. And couriers on Uber Eats will have attractive new opportunities to earn.
ezCater generated over $2.5 billion in Gross Bookings over the trailing twelve months, growing high teens year-over-year. The business is profitable on a Non-GAAP Operating Income basis, and is expected to be margin accretive. ezCater’s average order values are over $400.
“Catering is a big business, and can be a huge revenue stream for restaurants,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “Nihad and his incredible team have built an amazing platform. With Uber’s reach, we can bring that experience to millions more customers and help restaurants win more of these valuable orders.”
“We’re thrilled to be joining forces with Uber. Our team is proud of what we’ve built — the leading platform for workplace catering, and a major growth channel for our restaurant partners,” said Nihad Rahman, CEO of ezCater. “We’re energized to bring our catering and B2B expertise to Uber’s global ecosystem of customers, merchants, and couriers.”
The transaction is expected to close in the coming months, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.
