Order Takeout Directly with Google: A New Convenience

The board game Monopoly (you know, the one you can never really win) has a surprising origin story. Rather than teaching kids about getting rich through property speculation, it's actually a fable about the perils of capitalism. Nobody really seems to come away from it thinking monopolies are bad, though.

That brings us to Google, which has just announced a new feature allowing users to order food for delivery direct from a number of Google services. If you're a fan of Search, Maps, or Assistant, you can access the new feature right within your search results. Google has teamed up with startups that already facilitate restaurant delivery, like DoorDash and Postmates, to get you a meal either right to your front door or ready for pickup. Not only that, you don't have to worry about payment options either — the new feature lets you pay through Google Pay.

Ordering takeout through your search engine or your mapping functionality isn't universally integrated just yet. While Slice and Delivery.com are onboard, major competitors like Uber Eats, GrubHub, and Seamless aren't taking part. The move is intended to save consumers another app download — or simply opening another app altogether.

Internet monopolies are increasingly working to become the entirety of the internet, rather than a site or a platform within it. This is already true in many countries overseas, where Facebook is often the only source of news, sometimes to disastrous effect. It's handy that Google wants to make getting food easier, but it's always worth considering who benefits when a huge company offers services for free.