In 2018, Starbucks partnered with which delivery service?

In 2018, Starbucks partnered with Uber Eats for delivery. In December of that year, the companies expanded the arrangement to bring Starbucks beverages to customers’ homes in the United States, building on an existing Starbucks-Uber Eats relationship in China.

The partnership reflected Starbucks’ effort to extend beyond the café and drive-through. Customers could order selected drinks and food through the Uber Eats platform, while Uber’s delivery network handled the final trip from store to customer. Availability depended on location, store participation, menu selection, and delivery distance.

A common mix-up is confusing this partnership with Starbucks’ own Mobile Order & Pay feature. Mobile Order & Pay lets customers place an order for pickup through Starbucks’ app; Uber Eats was the outside delivery service. DoorDash, Grubhub, and Postmates have also operated delivery services, but Uber Eats is the partner associated with Starbucks’ 2018 U.S. expansion described here.

The arrangement also fit Starbucks’ broader digital strategy, which included rewards integration, mobile ordering, and delivery experiments in several international markets.