Amazon Launches Restaurant Takeout & Delivery Service in Seattle

Online superstore Amazon.com has added fresh sushi, noodle bowls, and pizza to its ever-growing list of things it can sell you: TechCrunch reports Amazon's long-rumored restaurant takeout delivery service has gone live in the Seattle area, as part of Amazon's "Local" hub. Amazon Takeout & Delivery currently has 129 partner restaurants in Seattle (including the Samurai Noodle chainlet, Via Tribunali, and the fine-dining Aqua), with the majority participating only in a takeout capacity. But the entire ordering process occurs through the Amazon Local site or app: Diners can browse restaurant menus and make selections, input their address (if the food is being delivered), and then "Add to Cart" just like any other online purchase. As TechCrunch reports, payment occurs directly through the diner's Amazon account, "as with other Amazon services."

Amazon Takeout & Delivery operates much like AmazonFresh, the site's grocery delivery service that's been quietly expanding since last year. The service represents Amazon's attempt to compete with established food-delivery sites like Seamless, GrubHub, and the newish Caviar, although the company has not yet revealed if and when expansion plans are in the works.