Amazon closes its restaurant delivery service in London

NelsonG · November 26, 2018

Amazon is shutting down its two-year old restaurant delivery service in London, according to a report by the Evening Standard, which an Amazon spokesperson confirmed. Customers were sent emails which informed them of the change, saying they would no longer be able to order from Amazon Restaurants UK after Monday, December 3rd, the report said.

The retailer first expanded its restaurant delivery service to London back in September 2016, after its initial launch Seattle, which was then followed by a number of other major U.S. markets. The service is a part of Prime Now, Amazon’s same-day delivery service, which in the U.S. allows consumers to shop Amazon, Whole Foods, and order from restaurants.

In the U.K., Amazon promised customers no menu markups on hidden service fees as well as free delivery for Prime members with a minimum order of £15.00. Amazon later added a £1.99 flat fee on orders, however. Amazon had also promised it would refund the difference between items ordered through Amazon and the current online price, if the restaurant lowered a menu item’s price within 24 hours of the original order.

The delivery service was first launched in postcodes in the central, east, north, and southeast of London, but later expanded across most of the city. It delivered food within an hour from over 200 restaurants.

In London, Amazon has faced fierce competition from local players, including Deliveroo and Uber Eats, the report noted. That may have contributed to its decision to shutter its business in that market.

Amazon confirmed the closure in a statement shared with the news outlet, which it also shared with us.

“We are closing Amazon Restaurants UK. We would like to thank all of our customers and merchants, and delivery partners for their support,” they said.

The service is still running in the U.S., and that doesn’t appear to be changing any time soon. In fact, Amazon recently expanded its Seattle-based Daily Dish service in the U.S. to a new market, Austin, earlier this month. With Daily Dish, Amazon sends daily lunch specials to office workers, which they can order by replying to a text or using the Amazon or Prime Now mobile apps.