You can now order food for delivery or takeout through Instagram
The next time a restaurant posts a video of some lust-worthy food on Instagram, you may be able to have it delivered in a couple of clicks.
The social media app has partnered with the ChowNow food ordering platform to create an “order now” button and story sticker that will allow Instagram users to order and pay for food directly from the app.
“It was designed specifically for the time we are in now,” ChowNow Chief Executive Christopher Webb said. Restaurants “are using Instagram more than ever to let people know they are open.”
During mandated dine-in closures, these restaurants are offering takeout and delivery as the coronavirus pandemic keeps Los Angeles close to home.
Restaurants must be current ChowNow clients to participate; monthly fees cost restaurants $99 to $149, which goes toward services such as an ordering platform, customer data and marketing.
Starting Wednesday, a participating restaurant can go to its Instagram settings, choose a ChowNow option and add a link to its online menu; doing so will generate an “order now” button that the restaurant can add to its Instagram profile or Stories. Clicking on the “order now” button will take customers to an interface where they can browse the menu, make selections, choose a takeout option (pickup or, if available, delivery) and pay.
The new service will be available to the more than 14,000 ChowNow restaurant clients in the U.S., including more than 1,000 in the Los Angeles area, Webb said.
The Instagram partnership will be around for at least six months.
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