Pizza Hut was the first company to introduce online orders through its website. In 2023, online ordering has become a part of the average consumer’s lifestyle.
On an average, a person with a busy lifestyle has to balance work and family. In addition to this, they don’t want to deal with the hassles of cooking. Ordering food online is a quick and convenient solution.Before the pandemic, online ordering was growing steadily. About 60 percent of the restaurant industry’s sales came from delivery orders.
During the pandemic period, online restaurant ordering systems and food delivery were a savior for restaurants that were struggling to run their businesses. As dining in and going inside a restaurant was no longer an option, online and mobile orders increased by 286 percent during this time
Now, customers too started relying on online food ordering systems. Pre-pandemic, it was only a vital tool for restaurants to grow their revenue and improve profit margins.
Phone orders are prone to errors and waiting in line to place an order is no longer an option. Though customers are getting back to dining in restaurants, a lot of them still prefer a contactless experience. Online ordering systems are a new norm of the consumer’s lifestyle and the restaurant business industry.
Benefits of Online Restaurant Ordering System
Simplicity Of Ordering
An online ordering system helps restaurants to display up-to-date menus and remove out-of-stock menus as they sell out. So the customer is always viewing a real-time menu.
Instead of entertaining customers with different types of questions, you can simply display necessary information on the listing and add good-quality photos of food. It helps customers make quick decisions and orders within a few clicks.
Customers can easily add instructions to their orders and do alterations with a simple click. With a fast and secure gateway, payment is completed on a computer or smartphone. The online menu ordering system showcases everything from the menu to the estimated time of delivery. The online ordering platform streamlines everything.Showcases menu to delivery and every part of the online ordering platform streamlines everything.
Improved Customer and Order Management
An online ordering system eliminates the need for physical paper orders, which can easily get lost in a busy kitchen. Instead of determining which order came first, every order is displayed on a single dashboard is a huge help for kitchen staff.
Real-Time Monitoring of Expenses
With access to real-time data, restaurants can make informed business decisions. The ordering system tracks sales and the profitability of menu items, allowing you to monitor expenses, and sales incurred in real-time. Without ever opening a cash register you can access the entire information from anywhere.
Increased Online Presence
An online presence helps restaurants reach potential customers. Having a user-friendly and appealing online ordering system is important for building a strong digital presence and communicating the restaurant’s brand and personality. This is also a cost-effective advertising method compared to traditional billboards.
Complete Control Over Your Customer Data
Customer data provides insight into customer preferences, trends, and behavior, enabling restaurants to offer a personalized experience and target marketing campaigns effectively.
Gathering data over a period of time helps you as a restaurant owner to be prepared for the different seasons. For example, Let’s say last Christmas your restaurant sold out of Chick-fil-A Chicken Tortilla Soup during the dinner rush. This type of data may help you prepare in advance and get maximum profits.
The comfort of mobile ordering
Mobile ordering has become popular due to its convenience, with 84% of consumers ordering food for delivery or takeout once or twice a week. Customers can order from wherever and whatever time that suits them.
If a customer is dining in at your restaurant and wants an additional drink or menu, they can easily order via their mobile phone, rather than keep looking for your staff. This way is helpful especially if you are understaffed.
Staying Ahead of the Competition
At this point, all large restaurant chains have their own online ordering systems for restaurants and many single restaurants increasingly adopted this system after the pandemic hit. Now customers expect restaurants to have an online ordering system so that they can order online or pick up. Restaurants that don’t offer it risk losing customers to those that do.
Better opportunity to Earn more revenue
Every restaurant has a seating capacity but online ordering systems for restaurants will maximize the number of customers a restaurant can serve. This can be done without having to expand the physical space. Customers can place and schedule orders or book their tables ahead of time. Online ordering systems for restaurants allow you to make a profit outside of operating hours, restaurant premises etc.
Loyalty Programs
Loyalty programs offer a way for restaurants to connect with customers and keep them coming back. Studies show that customers who belong to loyalty programs spend twice as much as those who do not, making it a valuable tool for boosting sales.
During a pandemic, loyalty programs offer a way for restaurants to connect with their customers and retain them. Consumers who opted for loyalty programs were found to spend twice as much as compared to those who did not opt for them.
How to choose an online restaurant ordering system
If you own a restaurant, offering customers quick and convenient service is one of the toughest challenges.Begin with you might be wondering how to overcome this challenge?. Thanks to this modern world for offering us an online ordering system for restaurants. These systems are crucial as they give customers a fitting way to order food instantly. It can even make the whole process well-organized for restaurant staff, saving time and resources.
Furthermore, online ordering systems can offer valuable insights into customers’ buying preferences, which helps provide better services and product offerings. But there are several available systems, so how do you know which one to select? Below are the top 4 things to remember when choosing the best online ordering systems for restaurants.
Top 4 things to consider while choosing an online ordering system for a restaurant?
Ability to customize
Third-party platforms don’t permit restaurants to own its brand. An online ordering system for restaurants allows a restaurant to customize its design and templates. Many companies offer online and mobile ordering capabilities. Still, functionality is vital, and restaurants must be able to choose and pay as per their needs.
Ease of integration
Managing orders from different channels can be difficult, but merging an online ordering system for restaurants shouldn’t be. Staff and managers must quickly learn and understand the ordering platforms. Usually, the system you choose should be able to integrate into your existing systems and be simple to install. Customer support must be available if any issue arises.
Costs and fees
Most online ordering systems are available at different pricing tiers, meaning each restaurant will have different budgets and needs. It’s optimal to go for one that allows you to start small and grow as you go. Many businesses offer free consultations, and a few even provide no-cost monthly fees for the basic package. You might need to pay for the hardware in addition to the software, so always remember to watch out for companies that take a commission on every order.
Promotional support
It is common for companies to provide promotional marketing and support in addition to their ordering systems. However, some companies wind up with these services with the system’s operational costs. Moreover, to build your restaurant website, promotional support includes help with creating an online menu, creating a custom webpage, optimizing your website for search engines, using social media, and driving traffic.
At boons.io, we help restaurants build their brand online and sell their menus online through their own websites. To know more about marketing services book a free consultation with our expert here: https://boons.io/get-a-free-demo/.
Customer data access
The more deeply you know about your customers, the better ready your restaurant will be to provide a customized experience. As mentioned, data is a significant asset. Customers will probably choose the restaurant where they feel better and are satisfied with various options.
Restaurant owners must consider these four main things before choosing the best online ordering system for your restaurants. Exploring an online restaurant ordering system? Book a free demo session with our expert at https://boons.io/get-a-free-demo/.
Best online ordering Systems for restaurants
The online ordering system for restaurants is revolutionising how you order your food. No longer do you have to wait in long queues or call up restaurants to reserve a table. You have your favourite meal delivered to your doorstep with a few clicks.
This system is convenient not only for customers but also for restaurant owners. By taking orders online, they can avoid the hassle of dealing with phone calls.This helps them to focus on cooking and preparing the food so that orders are delivered on time and keep customers happy.
You may know the importance of an excellent online ordering system if you’re a restaurant owner. Choosing the best one for your business can be challenging with so many options out there. But don’t worry. We’re here to help! Here are the top 13 best online ordering systems for restaurants.
boons.io
At boons, our mission is to put owner-operators back in control and eliminate reliance on third-party delivery marketplaces. We do this with a commission-free, first-party commerce and delivery platform.
boons provides the digital tools to help level the playing field. Restaurants get a custom website, online ordering, on-demand delivery, and integrated marketing support.
We are successfully serving hundreds of restaurants. And continue to grow much. With boons.io, restaurants can build their brand online and sell their menus through their websites. To learn more, book a free consultation with our expert here: https://boons.io/get-a-free-demo/.
Lunchbox
A restaurant’s operating system, Lunchbox, aims to maximize guests, orders, and profits. It offers web ordering, kiosks, and app ordering to create a customised digital ordering experience. By working with restaurants of all sizes, Lunchbox helps you regain control of your virtual real estate.
Toast POS
This online ordering system for restaurants provides tools such as e-gift card buying, contactless payment, a mobile app, takeout, delivery, and online ordering. Restaurant data can be accessed from anywhere using this cloud-based platform, including mobile devices, entirely made for the food service industry. With Toast Go (handheld tablets), customers can place orders and pay at the table, and with Toast Kiosks, customers can get the self-service option.
Square POS
Businesses and restaurants can use Square Point of Sale to sell online for free. Customers’ preferences, feedback, and inventory reports can be tracked using the company’s system. In addition to real-time data collection, sales reports are available every hour. Marketing campaigns can be targeted based on customer information with the help of this online ordering system.
ChowNow
Customers can order contactless dine-in, curbside delivery, and in-store pick-up using ChowNow. Customers can order through apps, sites, or social media platforms like Instagram or Google. The company’s professional and experienced team helps restaurants evolve their to-go businesses through marketing and social media strategies. This system is free of charge.
MenuDrive
Using marketing tools and Search Engine Optimization, MenuDrive drives traffic to restaurant sites, transforming visitors into new customers. It offers online and mobile marketing solutions for restaurants and caterers. Using MenuDrive’s analytics, businesses can determine which menu items must be promoted and what price to sell them at to maximise profits.
Upserve
The Upserve system is created by restaurateurs for restaurateurs. This entire cloud-based ordering system can be installed within 48 hours. Its online menus and personalised web pages allow restaurants to highlight their brand and streamline online ordering.
Restolabs
With Restolabs, restaurants can create a personalized ordering site that reflects their voice and personality. Essential features include multilingual customer support, Facebook ordering, an intuitive interface, and POS integration.
Cake POS
Both quick-service and full-service restaurants can benefit from Cake’s intuitive point-of-sale system. Instant-service restaurants can use order pads that manage diner traffic flow, while full-service restaurants can offer a customer-facing display that diners can use to sign and pay. This online ordering system can be used for large, full-service restaurants to monitor table status, guest profiles, and sales reports. It also tracks employee hours and wages in real time.
IMENU360
In addition to accepting online orders and mobile orders, iMenu360’s system can be integrated into an existing point-of-sale system. Along with collecting customer data, this system provides 24/7 customer service, specifically branded apps, and the ability to design a loyalty program. The U.S. Military uses it as well.
Gloria Food
The GloriaFood online ordering system is the first completely free online ordering service. It provides unlimited order processing at zero fees, along with table reservations and online branding. 20,000 restaurants are served in over 100 countries, and this online ordering system for restaurants supports 37 languages.
Ordering.Co
Additionally to being an ordering system, Ordering. Co. provides AI order assignment, real-time order tracking, WhatsApp ordering integration, and a POS interface. Any on-demand delivery business and order kiosks can use this one-stop solution. It can easily be installed in less than a day for any business.
eDelivery’s
eDelivery’s ordering system can be used by liquor stores, grocery stores, and restaurants that provide local delivery. Different templates and screen designs are available free of charge, and custom designs are available for a small fee.
After evaluating several factors, these are a few of the best online ordering systems for restaurants that are reliable, user-friendly, cost-effective, and have flexible payment options. Moreover, it should provide the highest level of security and customization to ensure the customers have a secure and enjoyable ordering experience. A well-designed online ordering system is an invaluable asset for any restaurant.
Why online ordering for restaurants is so important?
Online ordering systems for restaurants have multiple benefits for restaurant owners and customers. They allow restaurant owners to avoid hefty commissions from third parties and make more money.
Our goal at boons.io is to empower restaurant owner-operators and break away from dependence on third-party delivery marketplaces. We achieve this through our commission-free platform for first-party commerce and delivery. Visit boons.io & experience our platform live in action!!
