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Will Facebook Help or Hurt Food Delivery Drivers?

Facebook announced Friday that its “Order Food” option is now live to all users. The button is found under the “Explore” tab in the app, and allows users to order through EatStreet, Delivery.com, DoorDash, GrubHub, ChowNow, Olo, Zuppler and Slice.

Facebook began testing this feature last year, but it just rolled out to the entire Facebook community.

Why this could be good news for drivers

The new feature allows users to scroll through restaurant options without leaving the app. Depending on which service the particular restaurant is partnered with, clicking on a restaurant can redirect users to any of the food delivery platform options.

This set up means that Facebook users who may not necessarily be current users of a given platform can easily join and place an order. If a restaurant interfaces with multiple platforms or offers both takeout and delivery, users will be able to select which service they’d like to use.

While Facebook is hoping this feature gives people more of a reason to stay in the app, drivers are likely to see an uptick in orders if the feature takes off. Facebook doesn’t actually receive any direct benefit from offering these options either. This means they don’t charge a fee (which means no fee to pass along to you or your customer)

. Their main goal is keeping people in their app as long as possible.

The feature also allows customers to see what their friends say about a given restaurant. Connecting potential customers to word of mouth advertising is likely to lead to more sales—and more business for drivers.

Why this could be bad news for drivers

The downside to this feature is that the “Order Food” button doesn’t just interface with on demand delivery platforms. There is also a whole list of restaurants you can order directly from. This means customers won’t just scroll through the DoorDash app seeing only options deliverable by Dashers, for example. Instead Facebook users will see DoorDash and GrubHub options right alongside direct delivery options.

The list of restaurants offering delivery includes Jimmy Johns, Five Guys, Papa John’s, Wingstop, TGI Friday’s, Denny’s and Chipotle.

Customers also have the option to place a takeout order rather than have it delivered. This means drivers might be out of luck regardless of which restaurant the customer chooses.

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