US customers can now order food through Facebook

If you’re too lazy to visit a restaurant, or even open your favourite food ordering app, Facebook now lets you place orders for delivery or pick up directly from its app and website. The company’s VP of local Alex Himel today announced the move in a press release.

“Today, we’re taking the time out of finding what you want to eat by officially launching the ability to order food for pick-up or delivery, directly on Facebook,” he writes.

“People already go to Facebook to figure out what to eat by reading about nearby restaurants, and seeing what their friends say about them. So, we’re making it even easier.”

Notably, the feature is only available in the United States for now, but Himel notes Facebook has been working on the feature since 2016. At present, the company is using the likes of EatStreet, Delivery.com and DoorDash for deliveries, while its restaurant partners include Papa John’s and Five Guys.

“You can browse restaurants nearby by visiting the Order Food section in the Explore menu,” Himel explains.

“On this page, you can browse food options and select Start Order when you’ve found what you’re looking for. If the restaurant you want to order from offers takeout or delivery with multiple services, you can select which service you’d like to use. For example, if you have an account with Delivery.com, you can easily order with your existing login.”

If you don’t have an account, you can sign up directly from the Facebook app.

As for the decision itself, it makes sense. Facebook’s two-billion strong users get hungry, and before ordering food users will need to jump ship to another app. This isn’t ideal for Facebook, as the company wants you constant attention.

Adding the ability to order food directly from the app largely solves this issue.

“We’ve been testing this since last year, and after responding to feedback and adding more partners, we’re rolling out everywhere in the US on iOS, Android and desktop,” Himel concludes.

There’s no word on when the feature will head to other markets across the world.