How to Create an Online Ordering System for Your Restaurant

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented suffering to people worldwide, it has also spurred some exciting changes. For instance, due to stay-at-home orders, more people have begun to order their food online and have these delivered to their homes. The convenience of having professionally-cooked food appear at your doorstep is too tempting to resist, which is why the popularity of food delivery services have surged in the last few years. 

Many restaurants have remained closed or partially open due to lockdowns, which have impacted sales and operations. Luckily, creating an online ordering system for your restaurant is a great way to spark interest in your menu and generate revenue, even during an economic recession. Doing this will help you survive a very competitive field while opening up another revenue stream. Here’s what you need to know about it:

Designing Your Ordering System

Your online ordering system must resemble your restaurant’s website as much as possible. It must follow your branding, provide an intuitive interface, and simplify payment. That way, customers will have a breezy ordering process, encouraging them to return and order again. 

You might think that you’ll need extensive coding knowledge to create this system for your restaurant, but worry not—our POS app is here to help. Your customers will have a simple and elegant way to browse your menu and order your food while offering you an efficient way to better track your orders and manage your business. You can even use our Digital Menu Maker and select a theme to match your restaurant’s look and feel. You can also add your logo, further establishing the system in tandem with your website. 

Integrating the System

Customers hate long and clunky processes. Each time they go to a website to perform a function, such as browse and purchase, it must be as seamless as possible. Otherwise, they’ll grow frustrated and look elsewhere—possibly at your competitors.

Fortunately, with a POS system, you’ll remove the most common pain points of your customers. Using a system that accepts numerous payment methods ensures that your online ordering solution caters to as many customers as possible. A well-optimized system will also adjust your inventory, the client’s account, and other necessary aspects with each order placed. 

Making It User-Friendly

Each step of the online food ordering process must be precise, simple, and user-centric. Whether your customers are going through food categories or adding extra sauce or bread, they must have a comfortable experience throughout without getting lost in between screens. Using pictures is an effective way to help your visitors quickly decide on what they want to order, so ensure you insert the most compelling photos available. Once they’ve selected the main dish, display extra options or suggested pairings, like drinks and desserts, to upsell and cross-sell. 

Some customers may be craving for a meal, which means they’ll be in a rush to check out. Offer the option to do so as a guest, but provide enough incentives for people to sign up and create an account, like discount codes. Keep their order history and invoices so you can allow them to reorder.

Conclusion

Your restaurant’s online ordering system is an extension of your website, making it another marketing tool to boost sales and attract new customers. With restaurant visits sharply declining, you have the golden opportunity to capitalize on the food delivery phenomenon. With a POS app to help you set up your online ordering system, you’ll be on your way to recovering lost profit from the pandemic. 

If you need help selling your products online and offline, check us out at Kyte App! We are a strong point of sale app that allows you to manage your entire business operations from your phone, tablet or computer. With our app, you can manage your inventory, create a digital menu, set up an online store, and many more. Get started with a business plan today!