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With London likely to retain some degree of social distancing measures until the end of 2020, it's probable that restaurants, cafés and bars will continue to feel the strain of a ‘new normal’ – where shutters remain closed and every sale, big or small, offers hope (and a better night’s sleep) for owners, chefs, mixologists, baristas and staff.
In recognition, our pals at Instagram have come up with a little bit of cheeky in-app tech to help our beloved hospitality heroes battle the challenges they face. It’s essentially a button which companies can add to posts that will take customers straight through to making an order. Speaking about the feature, which launched in the UK today, Instagram said:
‘We know people want to support the businesses they love, and we want to make that easier. So from today restaurants and businesses will be able to add an “Action Button” to their profile, or post a Food Orders sticker in their Instagram Stories. People can simply tap the button or sticker to make their purchase through our partner’s site, bringing them the food they love and supporting a local restaurant or business at the same time.’
The Facebook-owned social media platform has already seen some other innovative uses of its technology during lockdown, such as @breadaheadbakery’s daily baking classes on Instagram Live and Camberwell’s @wearelumberjackcoffee sharing its NHS meal deliveries on Stories to help raise funds.
The sticker, which can be paired with Instagram's ‘Stay Home’ message, looks like this:
With will power low and appetites high, those in lockdown may find this news less encouraging – the potential impact on their summer bods is as yet unknown.
Better balance those food orders with some Instagram Live HIIT sessions, London!
Want to know what else you can do to help London’s restaurants? Read about some new ways to keep them afloat.
And you can order from these top London restaurants too, who are now doing deliveries to homes.