Australians are now able to order food directly in Google Maps after searching with phrases like “coffee near me” or “best pizza nearby”.

Local hospitality tech company Order Up has integrated its food ordering platform with Google Maps and Google Search, with users able to complete an order without leaving the Google platform.

If someone places a Google search for a restaurant or a term such as “best coffee near me” or “pizzas in Fitzroy”, they will now be able to directly place an order with a few clicks through the Google search results.

Individuals will also be able to place food orders through Google Maps, or using their voice with Google Assistant.

A blue “Order Takeaway” button will appear in Search and Maps for participating restaurants. After pressing this button, users will be able to make their food selection, view the delivery or pickup times and complete the order using Google Pay.

Order Up founder John Saadie said it’s all about making things as easy and quick as possible for the customers.

“We are always looking for innovative ways for the hospitality industry to reach new customers in a more convenient way,” Saadie said.

“Google Search and Google Maps will make it so much easier for customers to find their favourite restaurants and even try something new.

“In light of the current pandemic and the demand for contactless / digital ordering, this feature will further assist Order Up venues to attract and be more accessible to customers.”

Using Google Assistants, individuals will be able to order food be saying, “Hey Google, order food from....”. They’ll also be able to re-order their favourite meal by saying, “Hey Google, re-order food from…”, which will then pull up a list of past orders that the user can choose from.

The new Order Up service is now being rolled out in participating venues in locations around Australia.

Restaurants don’t have to pay any extra to be featured on the service, but do need to have Google Pay on offer though.

Google’s food ordering service launched in Australia late last year with the likes of Domino’s, Boost Juice and Guzman y Gomez on board, along with local restaurants.

The majority of offerings on the service are for pickup online, and in contrast to UberEats and Deliveroo, Google does not have its own delivery drivers.

Food delivery has experienced huge upticks in demand in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This was reflected in Uber’s recent quarterly earnings report, with UberEats’ revenue doubling to $US1.2 billion, with that element of the tech giant’s business model fast-approaching profitability.

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said that food delivery had become even more mainstream in 2020.

“The COVID crisis has moved delivery from a luxury to a utility,” Khosrowshahi said.