You may have scoff at all the “influencers” who post photos of their salads on Instagram, but it turns out this may have a new purpose.
LA-based food delivery platform ChowNow has partnered with Instagram to allow people to place food orders through the Instagram app. Restaurants that partner with ChowNow will have the ability to add an “Order Food” button on their Instagram profile or a special sticker in their Instagram stories, which will take the user directly to the restaurant’s ChowNow page to place an order.
Instagram users are also able to share stories that have these stickers, helping these restaurants reach a larger audience.
This new feature comes at a time when many restaurants are forced to close their doors due to the statewide stay-at-home order. As a result, restaurants have to pivot to a takeout or delivery-only model. Still, many restaurants are only seeing a fraction of their usual business. This feature is intended to help restaurants reach a larger audience online.
“During this unprecedented pandemic, ChowNow has mobilized all its resources to help local restaurants survive and ultimately thrive, launching new products and services in record time,” CEO and co-founder Chris Webb said in a statement. “This Instagram feature is yet another valuable tool we’re offering our restaurant partners — at no cost to the restaurants — to help them drive more revenue and boost order volume without suffering the outrageous commissions and fees imposed by other delivery apps.”
Jeremy Fox, the chef and owner of local restaurants Birdie G’s and Tallula’s, described how useful a tool like this is.
“We’ve had to quickly pivot to delivery and takeout only, and this has been a huge challenge for independent restaurants across the country. With ChowNow seamlessly linking to our Instagram accounts — and not charging any commissions on orders — we’re able to promote all the new things we’re offering while ensuring that more dollars go directly back to our restaurants and beloved staff,” Fox said in a statement.
ChowNow helps manage online ordering for over 13,000 restaurants across the United States and Canada.
