MENLO PARK, CA- As if Facebook wasn’t already equipped with an incredibly expansive reach, the social media giant announced today that it is putting its toe in the water within the foodservice sector with the launch of its new food ordering service.

According to the company newsroom, “You can now order food from restaurants directly from their Facebook Pages. Simply click ‘Start Order’ on any restaurant’s Facebook Page that uses Delivery.com or Slice.”

Delivery.com allows orders to be made online from coveted local businesses while also helping diners discover new ones. These include restaurants, wine and spirits shops, grocery stores, and laundry and dry cleaning providers. Slice provides a tracking service.

In addition, Facebook is launching a Recommendations feature whether you are looking for a great place to eat or a local service or business. According to Facebook, when you write a post looking for advice on local places or services, you’ll have the opportunity to turn on Recommendations for that post. With that feature turned on, friends can comment on your post with suggestions, and members will see all of the responses mapped out and saved in one place. A Recommendations bookmark on Facebook also allows users to ask a new question or help friends.

These features are only a couple of many that Facebook is beginning to roll out in the U.S. today with more new features to be launched over the coming months as the company looks to “make it easier to get things done, make confident decisions and communicate directly with businesses on your time and terms.”

As the traditional foodservice and retail channels see an influx of new players and opportunities, it will be interesting to see how the consumer responds and what innovations and services rise to the top.

Facebook Recommendations