Everything You Need To Know About Setting Up An Online Food Ordering System

Everything You Need To Know About Setting Up An Online Food Ordering System
Learn more about how to get set up with an online food ordering system for your restaurant with this handy guide.
by Square Oct 13, 2020 — 4 min read
Everything You Need To Know About Setting Up An Online Food Ordering System

COVID-19 has contributed to huge growth in the demand for online ordering. With customers across Australia and the world subject to various stay-at-home orders and restaurants required to reduce their customer numbers to meet social distancing rules, restaurants are looking for solutions that let customers order and pay for delivery or takeaway online. We’ve prepared this handy guide to help you get started.

What is an online food ordering system?

An online ordering system is software that lets your restaurant accept and manage orders placed online. An online food ordering system generally has two components – a website or app that allows customers to view the menu and place an order, and an admin interface that enables the restaurant to receive and fulfil customer orders.

Online food ordering systems are a great option for restaurants looking to respond to a rapidly changing operating environment – and most are relatively easy to set up. If you’ve been considering adding an online sales channel to your restaurant but you’re not sure where to start, read on for insights and tips on choosing the right online ordering system for your business.

Why set up an online food ordering system?

Setting up an online food ordering system for your restaurant is a bit of work initially but will provide you with many long-term benefits.

What are my options when setting up an online food ordering system?

There are three main approaches to setting up an online ordering system for your restaurant:

  1. Direct integration with your restaurant’s website
    If you want to offer online ordering via your existing website, your first step should be to check whether your current website host offers food ordering plug-ins or modules. This option will give you excellent flexibility but requires much more work than the alternatives, particularly during setup.
  2. Use a third-party app
    Third-party apps have become ubiquitous with food delivery. Using an app like Uber Eats or Deliveroo gives your restaurant exposure to a broad audience of potential customers, however many restaurants find their fees – up to 30% of an order’s value – prohibitive. It’s quick and easy to get started with these apps, but your staff will need to re-enter all orders into your POS system manually.
  3. Use a fully integrated solution like Square for Restaurants
    Square for Restaurants is an all-in-one restaurant POS system that incorporates payments, POS, online ordering, team management and a kitchen display system (KDS). Built specifically for the restaurant industry, it’s fully customisable and can be tailored to support your venue’s needs – whether you’re a small café or large, full-service establishment. It’s free to get started with Square for Restaurants – learn more about Square for Restaurants.
 

What should I consider when choosing an online ordering system?

With plenty of online ordering systems on the market, it can be hard to know what to look for when comparing your options. Consider aspects including:

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