Lake Charles-based mobile application Waitr announced Tuesday a new partnership with the New Orleans Saints, becoming the National Football League franchise’s official app. The union of the pro team and foodie app comes amid rapid expansion by Waitr, which now has more than 1,200 restaurants in the Gulf Coast region within its network. The app connects restaurants to diners through a smartphone menu and digital marketing platform for iPhone and Android users. The platform allows users to browse, order and pay for carryout, delivery and even dine-in service directly from their phone.

“The alignment of the New Orleans Saints and Waitr is a match made in heaven,” says Sonny Mayugba, chief marketing officer of Waitr, in a press release announcing the deal. “The Saints Nation is among
the most passionate and loyal fans in the NFL. We see that same passion and loyalty from Waitr fans. The Gulf South and Louisiana are the food capital of the world and this partnership will allow us to combine two of Louisiana’s favorite past times — sharing great food and football. We could not be prouder than to have Waitr as the official food delivery app of The Saints.”

Just six months ago, at ABiz’s annual State of the Economy luncheon, Waitr founder Chris Meaux announced plans to develop a 100-job technology operations center in Lafayette for his software company.