Sponsored By

Subway debuts Facebook Messenger orderingSubway debuts Facebook Messenger ordering

Customers can also pay through the messaging app

Ron Ruggless, Senior Editor

April 19, 2017

2 Min Read
Nation's Restaurant News logo in a gray background | Nation's Restaurant News

Subway customers can now use Facebook Messenger to order and pay for meals, the company said Tuesday. 

The Milford, Conn.-based quick-service chain said the Messenger bot can be used at all 26,500 Subway restaurants in the United States, both online and through mobile devices.

Subway and its digital partner, Agilitee, made the announcement at the F8 Facebook Developer Conference in San Jose, Calif. 

“This is a new initiative in the ongoing quest to enhance the guest experience,” Carman Wenkoff, Subway’s chief information and digital officer, said in a statement. 

Subway said customers could use the Messenger bot to order a sandwich or salad, customize it and pay with any device that supported the Facebook Messenger platform. 

“To use the bot: launch the Messenger app, visit Messenger.com or visit Facebook.com/subway and tap ‘Order Now.’ The bot will ask for the user’s location to find the closest Subway restaurant,” the company said.

Payment can be made through Facebook’s payment system, which requires the registration of a credit card, or through Masterpass, an online payment service by Mastercard.

Facebook said various Messenger bots are available for business. For instance, the ride-share services Uber and Lyft are among those using the capability.

Individual communications between businesses and customers on the platform reached 2 billion in the past year, and the number of business bots tripled from 11,000 in July 2016 to 30,000 by September 2016. There are currently 100,000 business bots on Messenger. 

Stan Chudnovsky, Facebook Messenger’s vice president of product, said in a statement: “It’s a simple way to order food, and available to anyone who already has Messenger.”

In research for Nation’s Restaurant News’ Top 200, Subway reported $11.3 billion in U.S. systemwide sales for the December-ended 2016 fiscal year, down 1.7 percent from $11.5 billion reported in fiscal 2015.

Subway, a division of Doctor’s Associates Inc., has more than 44,600 franchised locations in 112 countries.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected]

Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless

About the Author

Ron Ruggless

Senior Editor, Nation’s Restaurant News / Restaurant Hospitality

Ron Ruggless serves as a senior editor for Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN.com) and Restaurant Hospitality (Restaurant-Hospitality.com) online and print platforms. He joined NRN in 1992 after working 10 years in various roles at the Dallas Times Herald newspaper, including restaurant critic, assistant business editor, food editor and lifestyle editor. He also edited several printings of the Zagat Dining Guide for Dallas-Fort Worth, and his articles and photographs have appeared in Food & Wine, Food Network and Self magazines. 

Ron Ruggless’ areas of expertise include foodservice mergers, acquisitions, operations, supply chain, research and development and marketing. 

Ron Ruggless is a frequent moderator and panelist at industry events ranging from the Multi-Unit Foodservice Operators (MUFSO) conference to RestaurantSpaces, the Council of Hospitality and Restaurant Trainers, the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group, local restaurant associations and the Horeca Professional Expo in Madrid, Spain.

Ron Ruggless’ experience:

Regional and Senior Editor, Informa Connect’s Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality (1992 to present)

Features Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1989-1991)

Restaurant Critic and Food Editor – Dallas Times Herald (1987-1988)

Editing Roles – Dallas Times Herald (1982-1987)

Editing Roles – Charlotte (N.C.) Observer (1980-1982)

Editing Roles – Omaha (Neb.) World-Herald (1978-1980)

Email: [email protected]

Social media:

Twitter@RonRuggless

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/ronruggless

Instagram: @RonRuggless

TikTok: @RonRuggless

 

Subscribe Nation's Restaurant News Newsletters
Get the latest breaking news in the industry, analysis, research, recipes, consumer trends, the latest products and more.