Subway restaurants launched a bot for Facebook Messenger that allows guests to order sandwiches and salads from more than 26,500 Subway restaurants in the U.S. The 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 selecting the sub bread, cheese, vegetables and sauce, as well as drinks, cookies or chips. Users choose their payment method: Facebook's payment system or Masterpass, a digital payment service from Mastercard, and the order will be ready for pick up 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 on-going 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."
The Subway Digital team is innovating the brand's digital properties, enhancing the guest experience with a comprehensive global strategy. Subway Digital, created in 2016, is hiring more than 150 people for jobs supporting the brand's omnichannel approach.
