During this COVID-19 pandemic, more and more restaurant owners are looking to rely on pickup and delivery to keep business going. It’s different from the sit-down dining, and a lot of businesses aren’t ready enough to process orders online. Maybe restaurant online ordering systems can help?
To make this transition work, you need to access the best restaurant online ordering you can get.
In this blog, we will look at the three best online ordering systems you can use for your restaurant business. If you are a WordPress user, you will find it easier to set up the system.
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Not to stall it any further, let’s fire up the grill.
Why are Restaurants Opting for Going Online?
Restaurants are one of the hardest-hit industries in the COVID-19 pandemic. Typically, most of them rely on traditional in-person dining to generate revenue, but social distancing guidelines prevent people from gathering in masses, especially in close quarters.
Restaurants businesses that were already accepting online orders managed to adapt to the change real quick. However, many were scrambling.
Although many apps and platforms can help you with food delivery service, they tend to charge a lot of money in terms of fees. Moreover, implementing a whole new system takes time, no matter the circumstances.
Keeping the doors closed isn’t the solution to this problem. Unless you have plenty of cash to burn, you can’t afford to shut down for months during the pandemic and pay salaries and rent, nevermind make a profit.
However, if you already have a built-in clientele, your clients will not care if you are using Uber Eats, Postmates, or your own restaurant online ordering system. All they care about is your food, and if you find a way for them to order, they could help keep your business afloat.
Setting your online ordering system will reduce the amount of money you otherwise were spending on service fees. Fortunately, some flexible platforms such as WordPress allow you to change your existing website so your customers can place orders online.
3 Best Restaurants Online Ordering System for WordPress
The hallmark for a good restaurant online ordering system is that it’s easy to use. If the customer finds it difficult to order food from your website, you’ll be likely to miss out on sales.
If you are not getting enough sales, it may be because your site is not correctly optimized. With some SEO tools, you can master the art of optimizing and generate more revenue.
Customers tend to make quick orders from their phones, so it’s advisable to make the process streamline as possible.
These Restaurants’ online ordering systems have become a dire need of restaurant owners these days. An Italian pizza restaurant in Belgium recently grew its sales by 150% during the pandemic with the inclusion of an online ordering system. What’s stopping you?
While we were selecting platforms for the list below, we prioritize options that come with high-end mobile User Experience(UX). We also kept in mind seeking the most affordable options, as many small business owners are on tight budgets.
So let’s start!
Restolab
Resto Lab enables your customers to order their food online through the pickup, delivery, or even prepaid dine-ins. This platform will help you improve your business during the current health crises and in the future as restaurants start to open.
Your customers can quickly process their orders through Restolab. They can select the type of order they want to place, enter their address via an interactive map, confirm their address, and choose between payment methods. It’s that simple!
You can also process credit card payments, or let the customers pay cash upon delivery or pickup through Restolab. The system also supports email notifications as well as automated phone calls to notify you about your new orders.
Pros:
It enables pick and delivery orders.
It comes with options to process credit cards or cash payments.
It sets up real-time order notifications.
It also offers coupons and rewards for repeat customers.
Cons:
You can only access the driver management options in a premium plan and up.
Price: The basic Restolabs plans can cost you up to $45/mon.
GloriaFood
GloriaFood is another restaurant online ordering system, but what makes it different from others is that it’s free. The base platform enables you to process takeout and delivery orders, as well as table reservations.
One of the best features in GloriaFood is that now customers can pre-order food, so it’s ready when they arrive at your restaurants to dine in – this saves a lot of time on both ends.
If you want to enable online payment, you will have to pay for an add-on $29/mon. This excludes any fees your payment gateway charges). However, if you want to use the platform for free, you can have delivery drivers carry Point of Sales(POS), or you can always stick to cash.
Pros:
It supports delivery and takeout orders.
It enables customers to reserve tables through websites or Facebook.
It also runs promotions and offers coupons.
Cons:
GloriaFood doesn’t offer online payments processing out of the box.
Price: It is Free with premium add-ons.
MenuDrive
MenuDrive supports both delivery and takeout orders. MenuDrive helps you create menus that are readable across all types of devices, making it better for customers who access you on smartphones.
MenuDrive enables you to configure what type of notifications you want to receive and how you can process credit card payments. You can set your available delivery areas and your operating time as well.
Site hostings and social media marketing functionality are few things that set MenuDrive apart from the others. These all make it ideal for someone who has just started to build the restaurant’s online presence and needs to do so in a hurry.
Pros:
It sets up delivery and pickup order processing.
It accepts credit card payments online.
It allows you to configure the type of notification you want to receive.
Cons:
The Basic MenuDrive tier limits you to a single user and only one location.
It charges slightly higher than the industry standards from credit card processing fees.
Price: MenuDrive plans start at $39/mon.
Conclusion
Online ordering is not something new in the market. However, many restaurants are trying to make a switch due to prevailing situations. Fortunately, this transition is even smoother, with a broad range of restaurants online ordering systems available.
