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Ordering Food is as Easy as Logging In to Facebook

Last month, Facebook officially launched the new Order Food tab on their website and mobile app, allowing users to find restaurants and order delivery or pick-up without leaving the site. Along with collaboration among third-party delivery service partners, Facebook also works directly with local and national chains to streamline online ordering. This new functionality paves the way for local restaurants to bring their business to the forefront of its local clientele.

Delivery Partners
Facebook’s Order Food tab offers a variety of ways to find and get food. Early reviews expected the app to function like Seamless, combining the ability to order directly from a restaurant or via a suite of other delivery apps into one account. Instead, users can order directly from their Facebook profiles, using their existing accounts from GrubHub, Delivery.Com, Slice, and other partners without opening a second app (users can also create new accounts on partner sites, while remaining on the Facebook app). The tab expands upon an existing functionality, which allowed users to order food directly from the page of a restaurant’s Facebook profile. Now, all restaurants are in one convenient, easily-navigable tab.

Local and National Choices
A variety of different food choices is literally at your fingertips with the Order Food tab. Restaurants can be segmented by varying factors by the user, such as price, type of cuisine, and distance. Here, the benefits of the multiple delivery partners becomes clear; for example, if your selected restaurant does not use GrubHub for food delivery, but instead use Delivery.Com, both are accessible through the tab, eliminating the need to open a second app. Facebook has also partnered with a number of national chains – such as Chipotle, Panera Bread, and Wingstop, among others – to offer ordering and delivery directly from the user’s nearest location. Reviews left by members of the user’s list of Friends will appear at the top of the reviews of the restaurant’s review list. With national and local offers side-by-side, it’s easy for users to pick from a number of food options.

Business-Friendly
For established restaurants and new businesses alike, the Order Food tab offers an excellent new way to promote business directly on social media. Last year, Facebook debuted the option for restaurants to add Start Order buttons on their Facebook pages, allowing for online orders for pickup or delivery, but this still required a click-through or search of the business by users. Removing an extra step makes all the difference in returns, especially with integrations from a number of delivery options easily accessible with a single swipe. This change in accessibility reduces the need for a third-party review-aggregate app (such as Yelp) and easily-visible reviews from members of their inner circle creates the illusion that others are “vouching” for your business and make it a trusted choice for their next order.

Facebook has consolidated many food options in one place, reducing the need for multiple apps. Now, local and national food options are a click away and easy to navigate for Facebook’s 2 billion users worldwide. The new functionality allows for business to not only promote their food on social media but to generate potential revenue and reviews as well. With Facebook’s Order Food tab, it’s even easier to get great food delivered to your door.