Uber will pay $2.3 billion in cash to acquire ezCater, the workplace catering platform that connects more than 140,000 restaurants with corporate group-meal orders, the companies said Tuesday.

The all-cash transaction, subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions, is expected to close in the coming months. It folds ezCater into Uber Eats and Uber for Business, two units that already touch restaurant operators but historically at consumer-scale ticket sizes.

What does ezCater bring to Uber?

Scale and a different check average. ezCater's average order value exceeds $400, well above the ticket sizes that define consumer delivery. The company cleared $2.5 billion in gross bookings over the trailing 12 months, with year-over-year growth in the high teens. It is profitable on a non-GAAP operating income basis, and Uber said the deal will be margin accretive.

For restaurant operators, that mix matters: catering orders tend to carry higher contribution margins per drop than single-meal delivery because labor, packaging and delivery costs amortize across many covers in a single handoff.

Which chains are already on the platform?

ezCater's restaurant network includes Five Guys, Denny's, Mendocino Farms and Mission BBQ, all of which joined within the past year. The platform also offers corporate clients tools to track food spending and manage recurring orders, plus 24/7 customer support — features that resemble a corporate-expense software layer more than a typical delivery app.

Who pays, and who earns?

Uber Eats couriers will gain additional earning opportunities through catering orders, Uber said. Corporate clients of Uber for Business gain a single entry point for workplace meals, events and social gatherings. Restaurants, in theory, get access to larger checks and a more predictable order book.

The economics of catering differ from on-demand delivery in one key way: orders are usually placed hours or days ahead, giving operators time to schedule prep labor and consolidate ingredients. That cuts waste relative to the rush-minute cadence of consumer delivery.

What do the operators say?

"Catering is a big business, and can be a huge revenue stream for restaurants," Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a statement. "Nihad and his incredible team have built an amazing platform. With Uber's reach, we can bring that experience to millions more customers and help restaurants win more of these valuable orders."

ezCater CEO Nihad Rahman framed the deal as a distribution play. "We're thrilled to be joining forces with Uber," Rahman said. "Our team is proud of what we've built — the leading platform for workplace catering, and a major growth channel for our restaurant partners."

What happens next?

The deal now sits in the standard regulatory queue. If cleared, Uber inherits a B2B ordering channel whose average ticket sits well above its consumer delivery business. The open question for operators: how aggressively Uber will bundle catering commission rates into existing Eats agreements once integration begins, and whether the $400-plus AOV survives a larger, more price-sensitive customer base.