Life

Amazon Might Start Delivering Chipotle & Shake Shack Straight To Your Door

by Eliza Castile

Whatever the reason — illness, hangover, pure and simple laziness — there comes a time in everyone's life when they wish fast food would rain from the ceiling directly onto their bed. Technology hasn't quite caught up with this dream, but it's getting there. Amazon delivery might include fast food in the near future, so you can order as much greasy deliciousness as you can stomach without having to set foot outside your door. You'll still have to haul yourself out of bed and interact with a delivery person, but there are worse fates.

On Friday, online food ordering company Olo announced that it recently partnered with Amazon's restaurant delivery service. While Amazon has been delivering food in some cities since 2015, it has generally stuck to local restaurants rather than familiar chains. That's where Olo comes in. According to Reuters, the New York-based food ordering company has an exclusive network of more than 200 brands, including Chipotle and Five Guys, across the United States. Now that Amazon has partnered with Olo, it could begin delivering food from these restaurants. In other words, it might not be long before you're able to have buckets of fries delivered straight to your eager hands.

"Delivery pushes new bounds again. We’re thrilled to team up with @Amazon to serve more on-demand guests," Olo confirmed via Twitter on Friday.

According to Nation's Restaurant News, the general manager of Amazon Restaurants says the new partnership will help expand delivery options for both restaurants and customers. With Olo's focus on online ordering and Amazon's on delivery, it's a match made in lazy heaven.

Other well-known brands connected to Olo include Jamba Juice, Coldstone Creamery, Shake Shack, Chili's, and Which Wich. Before you get too excited, though, Delish notes that not all these restaurants have confirmed being part of the deal, so there's no set date for when the delivery service will be put into action.

Given the nation's increasing demand for food delivery, it's virtually guaranteed to be a hit once it does start. Services like GrubHub and Postmates, which allow customers to order delivery or takeout online, have been thriving for several years now. According to a report published this summer, analysts expect the food delivery industry to grow 79 percent over the next five years, mostly thanks to the ease of online ordering. It's easy to see why. Who wants to wait in line when they can just order over the Internet and pick their food up later, to eat in the comfort of their home (read: bed)?

More than a few major brands have tried to adjust to the demand. Starbucks customers can order and pay on the coffee chain's app, then pick up their drink from a designated area. Panera Bread, Olive Garden, and Denny's, among others, all have similar services. The catch is that most of the time, you still have to pick up the order yourself, unless you order through a delivery service that works with the restaurant.

Until the partnership with Olo, Amazon hasn't managed to snag many well-known restaurants, but now, it's looking like the service will expand in a major way. Currently, Amazon Restaurants is available in 20 cities, including Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay area. (You can check to see if it reaches your area by entering your ZIP code on the Amazon Restaurants homepage.) If you're a Prime member, you can order from nearby restaurants and expect your food within an hour or so.

The connection to Olo isn't the only way Amazon has tweaked its food delivery this year. In January, the company announced the addition of voice-ordering support, so customers can order by speaking to digital assistant Alexa. The future is here, folks, and it's a lazy gal's paradise.