The next time a Phoenix-area resident orders an Uber Eats, it may be delivered by Waymo One's autonomous vehicles, which could mean savings since no tips would be needed.

It’s been nearly a year since Waymo, an autonomous vehicle ride-share service, partnered with Uber. And now the partnership is being expanded to include Uber Eats.

What that means is that in some in-app transactions, Uber Eats customers will have the option to have a completely human-less delivery. Items will be located in the trunk of the vehicle when it arrives.

Customers will receive directions in the app, and they can also opt out of the service altogether and proceed with a human as normal.

Initial offerings include select Phoenix-area merchants like Filiberto’s and Bosa Donuts. 

Steve Chucri is president of the Arizona Restaurant Association and says he’s excited for the new partnership.

“This is another way that we can provide great service and a great meal to the customer. Not how we want it but how they want it. And that’s the nuance in all of this is that the customer is, at the end of the day, the needed entity for a business to succeed," Chucri said.

He said COVID-19 transformed how the restaurant industry operates, as to-go orders now make up 25% of total sales, up from about 5% pre-pandemic.  

EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to correct that to-go orders make up 25% total sales for the restaurant industry.