Where To Order Food Online: Facebook And Twitter Join Seamless And GrubHub In To-Go Options

Connecting people online with friends and family has long been Facebook's bread and butter, but now the social media giant will actually begin to offer bread and butter. Facebook has begun introducing a new feature to allow its users to order food from local businesses without having to leave the website or app, the company stated in a press release Wednesday.

That puts the social media site in direct competition with tech companies like GrubHub and Seamless that offer online ordering through apps and websites, as well.

To order food from Facebook, users can simply go to the restaurant’s Facebook page and click “Start Order” on any establishment that uses Slice or Delivery.com.

Only time will tell how successful the new feature from Facebook will be. There is already the option to order food through the instant messaging platform Slack and Twitter.

Taco Bell partnered with Slack back in April to make it easier to order lunch during the workday. Those interested in ordering from the restaurant can chat with the TacoBot that takes orders, organizes a group order, answers questions, recommends menu items and even checks users out. The TacoBot, described as having a “witty personality,” will chat with users about other things and typically offers humorous replies.

In May 2015, Domino’s began to allow its customers to order pizza by sending a tweet of a pizza emoji. In order to receive their orders, customers must first set up an Easy Order account which allows users to customize a pizza. The information is linked to a personal Twitter account. Once a pizza emoji is tweeted, Domino’s sends a direct message confirming the order.

The new Facebook feature also allows people to get a quote from local businesses, make an appointment, buy tickets, discover local events and receive recommendations about things they are interested in.