Amazon’s revamped AI assistant, Alexa Plus, now lets you place food delivery orders through Uber Eats and Grubhub using just your voice—no screen or app needed. This feature launched on March 31 and marks a practical application of the new Alexa, which Amazon has relaunched as a paid, AI-powered service.
How It Works
Amazon likens this experience to talking to a waiter at a restaurant or ordering at a drive-thru. You can have a conversation with Alexa, rather than just issuing a command and hoping for the best. For example, you might say, “I want a large pepperoni pizza from Domino’s,” and Alexa will guide you through the rest, confirming your address, payment method, and any customizations along the way.
This is a big leap from the previous Alexa, which could connect to delivery apps but required very specific voice commands and often felt cumbersome. The new version leverages a large language model—an AI trained on vast amounts of text that can understand and generate natural conversation—to create a more flexible, human-like interaction.
To use this feature, you’ll need an active Alexa Plus subscription and a linked account with either Uber Eats or Grubhub. Payments go through the card you’ve saved in those apps.
Why Amazon Is Doing This Now
Amazon faces pressure to prove that Alexa Plus is worth the subscription fee. The original Alexa debuted in 2014, and for years, it sounded smart but struggled with practical tasks. The Plus tier aims to change that narrative by integrating Alexa with real services that people use daily.
Food delivery is a smart starting point. People order food often, and the stakes are low—getting the wrong dipping sauce isn’t a disaster. This gives Alexa a chance to showcase its conversational skills in a forgiving setting before users trust it with more complex tasks, like scheduling appointments or managing a calendar.
For Uber Eats and Grubhub, this presents a clear advantage: a new ordering channel that requires almost no effort from the user. If you’re lounging on your couch watching TV, saying, “Alexa, order Thai food,” is easier than picking up your phone and navigating an app.
| Stock (UBER) | $71.84 (+0.18%) |
|---|---|
| CEO | Dara Khosrowshahi |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, CA |
| Sector | Transport / Delivery |
What This Means
For many, this is the most genuinely helpful feature Alexa Plus has rolled out since its launch. Millions of people order food multiple times a week, and using voice commands takes away the last bits of friction in an already convenient process. If the conversational flow works as intended, you could go from being hungry to having a confirmed order in under a minute without touching a device.
The downside is that Alexa Plus requires a paid subscription, and Amazon hasn’t been very vocal about the pricing. For those already paying for an Echo device and Prime, adding another subscription might give some users pause. Also, this feature is only useful if you frequently order from Uber Eats or Grubhub, as DoorDash, the largest food delivery platform in the US, isn’t part of this launch.
There’s also the trust factor. Allowing an AI assistant to place an order that charges your credit card is a bigger ask than simply setting a timer or playing music. Users need to feel confident that Alexa understood the order correctly before it becomes a regular part of their routine.
Community Reactions
“The drive-thru comparison is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. I need this to be way more reliable than every drive-thru I’ve ever been to.”
— Reddit user, r/amazonecho
“Actually kind of useful? I have my Uber Eats linked already. If I don’t have to unlock my phone I might actually use this.”
— YouTube comment, Android Authority
What To Watch
- DoorDash integration: DoorDash commands the largest share of US food delivery orders, making its absence from this launch notable. If Amazon decides to add it, and how quickly, will indicate how broadly they want this feature to function.
- Error rate reporting: User feedback over the next few weeks will show how well the conversational AI handles real-world ordering, including tricky cases like modified orders, substitutions, and restaurant availability.
- Alexa Plus subscriber numbers: Amazon hasn’t shared subscriber counts for the Plus tier. If this feature boosts signups, expect Amazon to highlight it at its next product event, likely in the fall when they usually refresh Echo hardware.
- Competitor response: Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri already have food ordering integrations. Keep an eye out for either of them to respond with their own expanded voice-ordering features.
Sources: TechCrunch | Android Authority
