This week has been nonstop Facebook this and Facebook that. Mark Zuckerberg could easily sit back and enjoy being the youngest billionaire in the world, but instead he seems to be aiming to take over the world – at least the online world. It is pretty exciting watching this 20-something attempt to cross markets and make Facebook your only online destination. Thankfully, this paricular bit of news isn’t directly coming from Zuck, but does involve the ‘book.’
Andover Mass Based Exit41 is announcing a new way to order food and interact with restaurants online today. According to a press release this morning, Exit41, the leading provider of social ordering solutions for the restaurant industry has developed a Facebook application which will allowing consumers the ability to place food orders online from the restaurants Facebook page and even share and ‘Like’ their favorite menu items withing their social network. Exit41 appears to be the first online vendor to fully integrate their restaurants with the social web.
“Social media is one of our top initiatives and we are heavily investing in solutions that drive results,” said Aric Nissen, VP marketing, Famous Dave’s. “Not only did Exit41 meet all of our ‘checkbox’ feature/function requirements for web and mobile ordering, they were the only vendor to offer a complete social ordering solution. Their products will complement our own social media strategy perfectly and allow us to maximize investments in this area.”
This new social move for restaurants will be very exciting to watch. Ordering food on the 
internet and restaurant reviews is nothing new (Yelp, OpenTable), but this does provide a new way for restaurants to monetize their Facebook page. Companies are already starting to see results from using Exit41’s newest product. For example, Silver Diner, a Maryland based chain, has seen their Facebook fan base grow to 6,000 in just a few week, and has expereience a seven percent increase in online order volume.
From the press release, The Exit41 solution includes:
- Online Application: Optimized for social sharing with Facebook “Likes” of a menu item and a preview of other fans who also “Liked” that item. Facebook “Likes” are posted to the consumer’s profile page and into their social stream, which feature a menu item picture and description along with a link back to the restaurant’s site to order that item and additional suggested items.
- Facebook Application: An Online Ordering Tab is added to the restaurant’s Facebook page where fans can begin the ordering process by adding featured items to their cart and seamlessly completing the order on the restaurant brand’s online ordering site. Consumers can also “Share” the Online Ordering tab within their network for a viral marketing opportunity for the restaurant.
- Mobile Application: An iPhone app customized for the restaurant brand featuring location awareness to find the closest restaurant, as well as secure mobile payment, ensures speed, ease and convenience of ordering.
Exit41 is a Software as a Service ordering solution which has processed over 20 million food orders all over the globe. Major customers include Qdoba Mexican Grill, la Madeleine, Cara Operations, Americana Group and Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises. Current investors include GrandBanks Capital and Dace Ventures.
