We’re scrolling Instagram more than ever lately, and when our favorite local restaurants post gorgeous photos of their meals, we can’t help but shed a tear for simpler times. But, thanks to a partnership with Playa Vista-based food ordering platform ChowNow, at least we can instantly order what we’re seeing on screen for takeout or delivery.
The new project will allow participating restaurants to add “Order Food” buttons and stickers on their posts and stories, which will drive users directly to a cart on ChowNow–which makes the time between seeing a crave-inducing pic and actually picking up your meal shorter than ever.
And, while that frictionless experience might not be great for your impulse control, it could help restaurants stay afloat.
“One of the most critical things for a restaurant is to engage their customer base and let them know that they’re able to order food… and the number one channel restaurants are using to do that is Instagram,” ChowNow CEO Chris Webb told TechCrunch.
Unlike many other ordering platforms, ChowNow is not charging restaurants fees for each order placed. Instead, the company charges a single monthly fee of $99 to $149 for use of the full ordering and payment toolkit.
Birdie G’s and Tallula’s chef/owner Jeremy Fox is enthusiastic about adopting the now shoppable post feature for his restaurants.
“We’ve had to quickly pivot to delivery and takeout only, and this has been a huge challenge for independent restaurants across the country,” he stated in a press release announcing the feature. “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.”
RELATED: COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories Are Going from Fringe to Mainstream with Dizzying Speed
Stay up to date with everything you need to know about L.A. by following us on Facebook and Instagram.
The post You Can Now Instantly Order the Food You See on Instagram appeared first on Los Angeles Magazine.