As of yesterday, Honolulu customers can download the Postmates app and request deliveries, and uberEATS launches today. Postmates announced the launch into Honolulu on Tuesday, making this its first venture into the Hawaii market. It also managed to beat uberEATS for launch date by one day.
The Gig Economy in Hawaii
The gig economy has been in Hawaii for awhile in the form of the rideshare platforms. Uber and Lyft have been in Honolulu for quite some time, although Uber has met some resistance in regards to licensing for its drivers.
However, Postmates and uberEATS are the first of the major food delivery platforms to enter the Hawaiian market.
Postmates in Honolulu
Postmates announced an impressive array of giveaways to celebrate the launch of its service. First of all, it’s giving away three Hawaii vacation packages to California Postmates users. This promotional began yesterday and concludes on Nov. 21. This means California Postmates couriers are likely to see an uptick in orders as the promotional is only open to residents of California.
“Postmated to Honolulu” has a prize of two round trip tickets to Honolulu, a three-night hotel stay, and a $500 credit for Postmates orders. Users can enter by buying a participating “Hawaiian line” item from the app or entering the code “HI” into the app.
They will also be offering free Aoki’s Shave Ice via a food truck in Honolulu on Nov. 20, but you’ll have to follow their blog for full details.
In addition, Postmates is offering a $100 Postmates credit to new users in Honolulu.
Delivery options include everything from Burger King to the Honolulu Museum of Art Café.
Postmates also partnered with Emma Wo, a former Miss Hawaii, who shares her favorite Honolulu foods as part of the launch’s advertising campaign.
UberEATS in Honolulu
UberEATS is launching today after having acquired Aloha 2 Go, a Hawaii-based food delivery service, earlier this year. Their service area will include most of the southern portion of the island, including Honolulu, Kapolei, Kaneohe and Kailua.
UberEATS has over 100 restaurants already signed on to partner with them in Hawaii, including L&L Hawaiian Barbecue, Kakaako Kitchen and Phuket Thai.
UberEATS orders have the standard $5.99 fee applied, which is two dollars more expensive than the standard Postmates charge.
Food Delivery in Hawaii
This week marks the entrance of two major food delivery platforms into the Hawaiian market. However, there is still a lot more change that could happen. This shift could open more options for rideshare drivers in Hawaii who may be tired of the platforms they work with currently. The shift could cause other platforms, such as DoorDash or GrubHub, to make the move into that market as well.
