SAN JOSE, CA and MILFORD, CT – Subway restaurants launched a bot for Facebook Messenger this week that allows guests to order sandwiches and salads from more than 26,500 Subway restaurants in the United States.
The first-of-its-kind sandwich ordering bot was announced at the F8 Facebook Developer Conference with Agilitee, one of Subway’s digital partners, and is the latest innovation from Subway Digital. Guests can use the bot to order a sandwich or salad, customize it with their favorite bread, cheese, vegetables and sauce, and pay on any device that supports Messenger. The bot for Messenger is the latest addition to the brand’s mobile order systems that includes web ordering and app ordering.
To use the bot: launch the Messenger app, visit Messenger.com or visit Facebook.com/subway and tap “Start Order.” The bot will ask for the user’s location to find the closest Subway restaurant. Then, the user is guided through sub selections, as well as drinks, cookies or chips. Users choose their payment method: Facebook’s payment system or Mastercard’s Masterpass, and the order will be ready for pickup in 15 minutes or less.
“Our bot for Messenger was just deployed in more than 26,500 U.S. Subway restaurants—the largest deployments of a Messenger bot in the restaurant industry. We’re proud to offer our guests an innovative new way to order and pay outside the restaurants,” said Carman Wenkoff, Subway’s chief information and digital officer. “This is a new initiative in the ongoing quest to enhance the guest experience.”
“We’re excited that Subway is expanding their mobile order capabilities with a bot,” said Stan Chudnovsky, vice president of product for Messenger. “It’s a simple way to order food, and available to anyone who already has Messenger.”
FreshDirect and the Cheesecake Factory also announced Masterpass-enabled bots on Facebook Messenger. FreshDirect is an online fresh food grocer delivering to residences and offices throughout seven states, including the New York City and Philadelphia metropolitan areas, and the District of Columbia. Cheesecake Factory diners can purchase personalized gift cards within Messenger by using CashStar’s real-time gifting capability.