6 Components of a Fast, Profitable Restaurant Ordering System

If your restaurant isn't online, it's falling behind.

That's why you spend so much time posting on social media and updating your website.

But have you invested in an online ordering system? 

In this article, we share:

• The benefits of online sales
• The six key components that the best online ordering page tools have
• Tips for effective delivery management and customer loyalty programs
• Why you need to streamline operations to make the online ordering process as easy as possible 

3 Benefits of an Online Ordering System 

Haven't set up an online food ordering system? You're not alone, but this simple thing could be costing your restaurant. Here's what online ordering can do. 

1. Boost Customer Satisfaction 

Your customers want to order online. Why wouldn't they? It's super convenient. Plus, if you use the right tool, you can make personalized recommendations based on a customer's current cart or past purchases.

Your restaurant ordering system will think, "Oh, this person likes fish and chips? Let's suggest the house wine to complement the meal." This will help you deliver a better customer experience. It will also help you drive more revenue.  

2. Increase Restaurant Revenue 

Online ordering will increase sales and revenue for your restaurant. Not everyone wants to eat in your dining room. Some people want to pick up food and eat it at home—or anywhere else.

An online ordering system will help your establishment cater to these guests via a branded website, an online menu, and easy payment processing. As long as you choose a tool that features commission-free ordering, you'll save money too. This will help guarantee restaurant profitability. 

3. Access Valuable Customer Data 

Ultimately, online ordering software provides you with easy access to customer data, which you can use to inform your menu as well as your marketing and sales strategies. Think about it: With an online ordering system, you'll always know exactly what customers love about your restaurant because you can stare at the metrics.

You can then highlight the top dishes on your website and promote them in your marketing materials. While we can't guarantee anything, this will almost certainly lead to more success. 

Must-Have Components of a Restaurant Online Ordering Solution 

The best online ordering systems will help you sell online quickly—no coding skills needed. Just as important, you can tailor them to a variety of restaurant businesses, ranging from single-location establishments to multilocation chains and catering companies. 

Here are the six components of a profitable online restaurant ordering system:

1. A Streamlined Setup Process

Simplicity is the name of the game. If your online ordering system is difficult to use, you won't probably promote it to your customers. If you don't promote it to your customers, they won't know it exists, which will minimize its benefits. 

Therefore, select an online ordering platform that features a straightforward user interface (UI). You can test this by signing up for free demos and/or trials.

This will provide you with firsthand experience with various tools. That way, you know which one fits your needs and the unique workflows of your restaurant. 

Also worth mentioning is the importance of choosing a tool that offers a streamlined onboarding process and dedicated support. You want to make online sales, not waste time wrangling a new piece of software.

2. Delivery and Logistics Details

You've launched your online ordering page or branded mobile app (or both) and started making sales. Now what? Now you need to deliver orders to hungry customers. 

Your online ordering system should give you different options in this regard, including curbside pickup, in-house staff delivery, and integrations with third-party apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats. Remember, convenience almost always wins. So, the more delivery options you offer your customers, the more sales you'll make. 

The best online ordering systems also include these essential features: 

• Online Order Scheduling: What if your customers want to order dinner at 2pm and pick it up at 5pm? Your online ordering system should give them this option. Set up on-demand delivery so that your customers get exactly what they want, when and where they want it. 
• Optimized Delivery Routes: Do you plan to hire your own delivery drivers? Then, you'll want to optimize delivery routes between your restaurant and its customers. Doing so will reduce costs and increase delivery speed, thereby boosting customer satisfaction and loyalty.  
• Real-Time Tracking and Updates: How long until you deliver your customers' food? An app that includes a real-time tracking and updates feature will give you this information. You can then pass it along to customers automatically, so they always know the status of their orders. 

Delivery management is an essential part of online ordering software. Choose an app that offers you the features you need. Then customize the tool to streamline logistics tasks.

3. Marketing and Promotion Options

An online ordering system helps you access new marketing and promotional opportunities. For example, you can offer buy-one-get-one (BOGO) deals to customers who order online and select "curbside pickup" as their delivery option. You can also give 10% off to loyalty members who take advantage of mobile ordering. 

Deals like this have three advantages. First, they attract new customers who want great food but would rather eat it outside of a traditional restaurant dining room.

Second, they increase revenue as your establishment can serve more people at once. Third, they encourage customer retention by offering loyalty rewards to guests who download and use your own mobile app. 

We know what you're thinking, "These online ordering deals sound great! But how do I promote them?" That part is easy. You can post about special deals on social media, talk about them in your email newsletters, and schedule push notifications for mobile app users. 

One more thing: Monitor and analyze your marketing campaigns. Which promotions brought the most traffic to your restaurant website? Which drives the most revenue?

Which led to the most significant increase in your loyalty program? When you know the answers to these questions, you can run similar marketing campaigns that (hopefully) lead to similar results.

4. Customer Loyalty and Retention Tools

You don't want guests to order food once. You want them to order food again and again—the more, the better. After all, more orders equal more revenue for your restaurant. 

You can encourage more orders by using the customer loyalty and retention tools inside your online ordering solution. For instance, you can reward repeat customers with exclusive offers and discounts. 

You can also use order history to make personalized recommendations. Doing so will help customers get more of what they want and build stronger relationships with your target audience. 

You can also ask for customer feedback and reviews. This will not only give you access to important insights that you can use to make better business decisions but also enhance your marketing efforts. You can post reviews on social media and your website to earn new customer trust.

5. A Secure and Reliable Foundation

Your online ordering experience should feel secure and reliable. If it doesn't, you'll lose sales, damage customer trust and, ultimately, harm your restaurant's ability to generate revenue. 

Therefore, establish a robust payment processing workflow. You can do this via encryption, tokenization, and multifactor authentication.

Your online ordering system should have these things built in. This will subtly suggest to customers that you care about protecting their data. 

You can also offer  your customers trusted payment options, such as Apple Pay and Google Pay, and prevent hidden fees and unexpected charges from appearing on their credit card statements. 

Finally, invest in robust digital infrastructure and comply with all relevant industry standards, such as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI-DSS) and General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). That way, your customers can make orders whenever they want and trust you to handle their private information in a respectful way that ensures their safety.

6. Free Training and Customer Support

Lastly, the best online ordering systems provide free training and customer support. What steps do you need to take to adjust your menu?

How do you connect your online ordering software to your point-of-sale (POS) system? Or integrate with Uber Direct?

Can you offer customers points within your loyalty app for orders they placed on your restaurant website? You need to know. 

Access to comprehensive training resources, including professional documentation, videos, and webinars, will make it easy to answer these questions. However, personalized support will enable you to ask specific questions and, in many situations, receive the answers you need more quickly. 

A full-fledged support team will also keep you updated on product updates, new features, and best practices. That way, your online ordering system always runs at peak performance. 

Pro Tip: If your restaurant ordering system doesn't provide training and support, consider joining an online community of restaurant operators and experts. While not the same as a personal support representative, it will give you access to others with knowledge that you can glean. 

Grow Your Restaurant Business With a Restaurant Online Ordering System 

Not every customer wants to dine in. Some want to order their food and beverages online, then pick them up or have them delivered to a location of their choosing. 

Put simply, more customers want greater control of their dining experience. Fortunately, you can give it to them with an intuitive, feature-rich restaurant ordering system. Once you invest in this kind of tool, you'll boost customer satisfaction, increase revenue, and gain access to important data. 

Just make sure the restaurant ordering system you choose includes the six essential components listed in this article. Our platform is the leading choice. Paytronix's solutions are easy to use and feature the tools you need to succeed in today’s modern, digital-first world. Sign up for a free demo of Paytronix to learn more. 

Frequently Asked Questions About Restaurant Ordering Systems 

Your restaurant's online ordering system will have a major impact on revenue and customer satisfaction. So, we understand if you still have questions. Here are the important ones we’ve identified. 

What is a restaurant online ordering system? 

A restaurant online ordering system is a technology that enables customers to order food and/or beverages directly from a restaurant's existing website or mobile app. The restaurant then prepares this food and/or beverages, which is either picked up by the customer or delivered to a location of the customer's choice by a delivery person. Online ordering systems make dining out more convenient, which helps increase sales for both individual and multilocation restaurants. 

How much do online ordering platforms cost? 

You can use a free online ordering system, which won't incur any costs. However, to access top-level features, you'll need to invest in a paid online ordering system. Either way, you'll need to pay third-party delivery companies a percentage of sales—unless you handle delivery yourself, of course. Most third-party delivery services charge a commission fee ranging from 15% to 30% for their services. 

What's the best online food ordering system? 

There is no "best" online food ordering system. You need to assess your restaurant's individual needs and budget, then choose an app that fits both criteria. That said, many customers love Paytronix because it's easy to use, includes top features, and is affordable. 

How does Paytronix simplify the online ordering process? 

Paytronix makes it easy to build amazing online ordering experiences that drive revenue. The interface is completely intuitive, so you don't need hours or training.

We also enable users to create custom menus across multiple online platforms, integrate with third-party delivery services, run effective loyalty programs, and study important metrics that lead to greater success.