People in 15 cities across the United States and Mexico are now able to use the Uber app to browse and book experiences such as dinner reservations and live events.

Uber Adding Restaurant Reservations and Event Tickets Sales for Businesses

The new feature is the Explore tab in the Uber app and will display recommended venues and destinations in a variety of categories including food and drink, theatre shows, culture, arts and music. Uber say the recommended options will be based on the user’s previous use of Uber and Uber Eats,

Special Offer Opportunities for Small Businesses

Each recommendation in the Explore tab will offer the user the option to ‘ride there now’ by booking an Uber car. Certain restaurants and bars will also be able to offer 15% off the cost of the ride, which equates to around $10 max for the time being. This could open up opportunities for small businesses in these 15 cities to encourage more visitors by offering such Uber ride discounts.

Uber spoke to TechCrunch and said that the discounts would not affect drivers, but did not provide any additional details on how the shortfall would be made-up.

The cities that the Uber Explore feature is active in include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Memphis, Minneapolis-St. Paul, New Orleans, New Jersey, Upstate New York, Orlando, San Antonio, San Francisco, Seattle and Mexico City.

Uber Aiming ‘Beyond the Ride’

The Product Lead for Uber Explore, Adib Roumani, told TechCrunch: “We have built Uber Explore to take our customers beyond the ride. People have always come to the Uber app for the point A to point B piece of the journey — so we are thrilled to expand and help inspire the destination too.

“Through a variety of personalized offers and experiences, customers will be able to see trending locations near them and also browse for activities and events in their area.”

Uber’s Explore Integrations

The app will include integrations that will enhance the Explore experience. The first integration is with Yelp, which lets the user read reviews of restaurants, as well as receive personalized recommendations.

Image: Depositphotos

This article, “Uber Adding Restaurant Reservations and Event Tickets Sales for Businesses” was first published on Small Business Trends