Uber Eats, Door Dash Settle Race Discrimination Claim Over Free Delivery For Black-owned Restaurants

The Arizona attorney general’s office is settling with three food delivery apps after its civil rights division filed charges that waiving delivery fees was discriminatory against non-Black-owned restaurants.

Food order and delivery apps Door Dash, Uber Eats and Postmates will no longer be able to waive delivery fees for Black-owned restaurants. The food delivery apps waived their fees for Black-owned restaurants to support Black-owned small businesses amid the coronavirus pandemic, George Floyd‘s murder, and the Black Lives Matter movement.

However, Attorney General Mark Brnovich said no matter the intent, the move by the food delivery apps falls under the definition of discrimination.

“Even with the best of intentions, corporations can do the wrong thing. Altering the price of goods or services based on race is illegal,” Brnovich said in a statement. “My office opened these investigations and pursued these settlements to protect civil rights and ensure businesses offer their services and products based on equal and neutral criteria.”

Arizona’s Civil Rights Division served Uber Eats and the others with a Notice of Public Accommodations Charge of Discrimination. The issue, however, never made it to court as the companies agreed to settle.

Under the settlement, Door Dash, Uber Eats, and Postmates will not offer financial incentives or price or delivery-related discounts to customers in Arizona based on an owner’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or ancestry. Additionally, the food delivery apps agreed to ensure that employees in Arizona receive notice of the obligations.

In a statement to Fox Business, Uber said it was “proud to have supported Black-owned businesses and we’ll continue to make it a priority.”

“We have heard loud and clear from consumers that the ability to easily identify Black-owned restaurants on Uber Eats is a feature they want and appreciate,” a spokesperson told Fox.

Door Dash and Postmates also released similar statements showing support for Black Americans.