Uber adds new ways to buy concert tickets and book restaurants in its app

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The new app feature allows customers to buy concert tickets, book restaurant reservations, and get discounted rides to popular destinations. It is the latest attempt by the ride-share company to turn its app into more of a lifestyle product.

Outside of being a taxi broker, the company has always had ambitions. It can be hard to remember the roots of the company as it shifts into food and grocery delivery. The company wants to remind its customers of that legacy and also bring more features into its app.

The Explore tab will be added to the app in over a dozen North American cities on March 1st. They are encouraged to check out the live event and restaurant recommendations if they tap on it. If this sounds a lot like Yelp, it's by design: restaurant reservations are handled through the app, and there are five-star ratings for restaurants in Explore.

PredictHQ brings in live event recommendations. If customers need a ride to any of these destinations, they can get a discount of 15 percent off rides to locations included in Explore. The Explore tab is powered by third-party ticket sellers, but the spokesman wouldn't say which ones they were working with.

The product lead for the product said in a statement that it was built to take customers beyond the ride. The company sees an opportunity to improve its core product as more people return to ride-sharing.