How to Find the Best Online Ordering System for Your Restaurant

Having an online ordering system simplifies the customer experience and the process for businesses. It’s convenient for customers and offers businesses the ability to make their products available to more people. 

Businesses of all sizes use online ordering to expand their reach and create new opportunities for success. And if you own a restaurant, you can do the same.

Discover everything you need to know about online ordering systems for restaurants, how they work, how they can improve your business, and what you need to know to choose the right one.

What is an online ordering system?

An online ordering system is a software or application where your customers can place orders. It can be used for both online and face-to-face services.

For those who own a restaurant, a coffee shop, a bakery, or any other business in the food industry, an online ordering system allows them to take orders and accept payments, even from a distance.

In other words, it’s a way for customers to order food online. People can place orders online from your website, on their smartphones, laptops, and from anywhere else. 

It’s possible to work with delivery, dine-in, or takeaway orders – it’s up to you. Depending on the system, it is even possible for customers to make online reservations for your restaurant.

How to find an online ordering system for your restaurant?

Selecting an online ordering system for your business can be a bit of a challenge. There are many to choose from, each offering different features and functionality. 

Some of the most important factors you should consider when choosing an online ordering system include: 

• Does the system integrate with the point of sale (POS) system that my restaurant already uses? 
• Do the features offered meet the needs of my business? 
• What fees are involved and are they worth the cost? 
• How easy is it to use? 
• What are other customers saying? 

These are just a few of the many factors you should consider when choosing an online ordering system.

Therefore, it’s important to compare the features of the market’s options and, of course, consider the prices. In this way, you do not go into debt and contribute to the success of your restaurant.

Don’t forget to think about the customer shopping experience. You always have to give them the best if you want to engage. After all, they are the most important part of your business.

How to choose an online ordering system?

After a short internet search, you will see many systems available on the market. The main question at this point is how to choose the right for you.

Online ordering systems are often integrated into a POS system that allows you to take orders and process payments at your business. 

This is an important part of the solution because, as a business, you cannot afford not to have control over the customer data when your business is online. 

It also means that your business can easily integrate the ordering system with an existing website.

Above all, having an online ordering system for your restaurant is a great way to extend your business to the world outside the city limits. 

The growth of the internet has made it possible for businesses to connect with customers from all over the world. However, in order to do this, you have to have a way of running your business online. 

Some people think that using an online ordering system will be too complicated for their restaurants, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. In fact, an online ordering system has many benefits for your business.

What are the benefits of an online ordering system?

If you have doubts about having an online ordering system for your restaurant, check out some of its benefits:

• increases revenue;
• keep customers coming back;
• helps the business to become more efficient;
• free up staff time.

All business owners want a POS that’s easy to use, intuitive, and fully integrated with their other systems. But these goals often come at a cost. 

Online ordering, on the other hand, can be an affordable solution, because it can be integrated with your business's existing website. It can be a great addition to an existing store, or it can be the backbone of an e-commerce business.

What are the best online ordering systems for restaurants?

Whether you're a small restaurant or a slightly large chain, you need an online ordering system that's easy for customers to use and for your staff to manage. Most importantly, you need to choose an option that works for you.

Check out the 5 best online ordering systems for restaurants in the current market:

Kyte App

Kyte App is definitely on the top. It offers an easy-to-manage and commission-free online ordering system with all tools you need to run your business. 

With it, you turn your smartphone, tablet or computer into a POS system, can start taking online orders from anywhere, create an online catalog and sell on social media.

Furthermore, Kyte allows you to create custom receipts for your customers, manage your inventory, and even have access to sales analytics to track the movements of your business.

One of the coolest things for those who own a restaurant is that Kyte offers a special integration with Facebook and Instagram.

With Kyte, you can also integrate Facebook Pixel into your digital menu, and better understand your customers' habits.

GloriaFood

GloriaFood promises to transform your website into a money-making machine. Their system centralizes all pick-up, delivery & dine-in orders. The main goal with that is to make it easier for you to manage your business.

This option allows your customers to reserve tables at your restaurant and even pre-order a dish. You can run a promotion and get a breakdown of your business performance with specific reports.

ChowNow

The ChowNow platform is a restaurants marketplace. You can integrate your POS system with it and increase your clientele.

This system offers integrations with Yelp, Instagram, and Google so you can sell in different sales channels. Customers can order food online, in-app, or via text, and you can process their orders as they come in.

Bento Ordering

With Bento Ordering, you can have a website for your restaurant, an online ordering system, and offer gift cards to your customers.

It also has a reservation and delivery system, website customized design for your brand, support for multi-location restaurants, and an easy way to update menus.

DoorDash Storefront

DoorDash offers you a commission-free online ordering system and a reliable network delivery. 

Customers can order directly from your restaurant’s website and, depending on the plan chosen, you can expand the delivery area to reach more people.

Conclusion 

In order to find the best online ordering system for your restaurant, as you saw, there are some important factors you have to consider before choosing one.

Choosing randomly is not a smart way to manage your business, neither is choosing the cheapest. You should not look for just any software service that is offered for a few dollars.

Make sure that consider all the features you need before making your final decision. Good luck!