Restaurant Ordering System: Tips for Restaurateurs When Choosing One

An efficient restaurant ordering system is one of the most important things that help restaurants successfully deliver their best to customers is a quick and streamlined delivery. Restaurant ordering systems have emerged as a viable solution to help restaurants simplify their orders. 

Several food joints, takeaways, and eateries have implemented this ordering system already to ensure convenience and accuracy when dealing with customers. 

However, with a plethora of restaurant ordering systems available in the market, it may be difficult for you to decide which one works best for your requirements. With this blog, we will help you choose the best option for your specific needs with some important tips. 

What are Restaurant Ordering System?

Restaurant ordering systems are a food service technology solution that helps facilitate an efficient ordering process and management for customers and businesses. These systems leverage online platforms and integrated point-of-sale (POS) technologies to streamline the food ordering process. 

You will find several types of restaurant ordering systems, like POS-integrated systems, standalone self-service machines, kiosks, and even mobile apps. Here are some of the benefits of using a restaurant ordering system:

• Easy Ordering Process

Traditionally, people dined out in restaurants or made phone calls for deliveries. However, a restaurant ordering system can create a uniform order placement process by enabling everyone to place their orders with the help of a website or an app.

• Efficient Customer Management

The online ordering system provides an end-to-end Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system to enhance the customer-restaurant relationship. It also provides a sales dashboard with information about new, active, or canceled orders and other sales details. 

• Real-time Expenses

A restaurant ordering system gives you relevant information about the cash flow in your restaurant. You can track all costs incurred when preparing an order to keep track of your profitability. 

• Better Reach

With online ordering, you can reach thousands of customers simultaneously. It enables your restaurant to cater to a much larger number. You can follow this process without making any additional investment in staff or physical infrastructure.

Key Features to Look for in a Restaurant Ordering System

There are several key features you need to look for in a suitable restaurant ordering system. The standard ones include: 

• User-friendly Interface

Time is crucial, especially if you are running a busy restaurant. It means you must look for a restaurant ordering system that has a user-friendly, intuitive interface. The system enables swift collaboration between your staff and customers with minimal errors and training time. 

• Customizability

Every restaurant offers a different menu to its customers. Hence, an efficient restaurant ordering system would enable your restaurant to add, remove, or edit items as and when needed. The system’s versatility ensures the most efficient menu customization process with minimal effort from your side. 

• Integration with POS Systems

Prioritize efficient communication between your kitchen staff and front-house staff. Hence, invest in accuracy and also expediting the food production process. The POS system also ensures that the orders are managed without any hassle from the point-of-sale of your restaurant’s kitchen. 

• Menu Management

This is the backbone of your restaurant’s operations at any level. You must be able to handle all kinds of dine-in rushes, delivery orders, and takeouts. This requires efficient menu management, which is possible with the help of a restaurant ordering system. It should enable you to consider order modifications, table management, split checks, and other necessary tasks. 

• Payment Processing

Look for an online order system that makes payment processing easier for your business. Make sure it offers different online payment options to customers with minimal transaction fees. This may be in the form of cards, UPI payments, or even cash. 

• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)

You cannot improve your restaurant’s services without knowing what customers expect from them. That is why you need a restaurant ordering system that also implements customer relationship management (CRM) tools. These tools enable you to collect and analyze customer data to understand their behavior and preferences, allowing you to create personalized experiences to enhance customer expectations over time. 

• Reporting and Analytics

Data-driven insights can help your restaurant optimize its performance and make informed decisions. You can seek help from the ordering system to get comprehensive insights into your sales trends, customer preferences, and menu performance, among other KPIs. 

• Security Features

Customer data breaches happen daily across the world. Therefore, you must make sure that your restaurant’s data remains private and safe by choosing an ordering system equipped with robust security features. This involves using techniques like encryption, verification methods, and tokenization. 

Types of Restaurant Ordering Systems

You will find different types of restaurant ordering systems for your business. The common ones include:

• Online Ordering Systems

An online ordering system can help streamline your restaurant’s takeout system and even simplify the food delivery process. It helps provide a valuable source of ongoing revenue for your business. It is an efficient technology that enables your customers to place a takeout food or beverage order online. It can be done through the restaurant’s website, app, or a third-party infrastructure. The best part is that customers can place the order either on a mobile device or desktop and keep track of their order delivery. 

• Mobile Ordering Apps

You will find several mobile apps that make it easy for customers to order food for pickup, delivery, and takeout. The best part about mobile apps is that you can set up the ordering system easily without needing much coding or web development knowledge. 

Another benefit of using mobile ordering apps is that it enables customers to place orders in advance.  

• Self-service Kiosks

Your customers can browse the entire menu at their own pace with the help of a self-service kiosk. It also enables them to explore various options and customize their orders with a few taps on the self-serve ordering screen. For example, if you own a burger chain, a customer can choose the bun type, patty, cheese, and other toppings according to their taste preferences. Subway’s self-serve kiosk is a popular example of this system.

• Tableside Ordering Systems

This technology involves using tablets or handheld devices at every dining table in your restaurant. These systems are equipped with user-friendly interfaces that help display your menu with the highest-quality images and detailed descriptions of every dish.

Your customers will also learn how to scan the menu and browse through the offerings accordingly. You can even allow customers to view nutritional information and get recommendations based on their food preferences or dietary restrictions. For more tips on enhancing efficiency, check out our guide on How to Improve Restaurant Operations Management.

Choosing the Right System for Your Restaurant

There are several considerations that you must keep in mind when choosing the right ordering system for your restaurant. The primary ones include:

• Assessing Your Restaurant’s Needs

Firstly, you must identify your restaurant’s needs before proceeding with back-of-house software options. So, consider factors like:

• Inventory management 
• Recipe management
• Food cost analysis
• Kitchen display systems
• Reporting and analytics

• Considering Your Budget

Restaurant ordering systems can vary in price, often depending on the features and functionalities they offer. That is why you must establish a realistic budget for your respective software or tool investment. You may consider initial purchase costs, ongoing subscription fees, support costs, and other potential hardware expenses.

• Evaluating Ease of Use

The restaurant ordering system should also have a user-friendly interface. This applies specifically if your staff is not tech-savvy. Moreover, you may find it time-consuming to train your employees to use complex software. Moreover, if the system is difficult to use,  it might deter your employees from using it. 

• Checking for Scalability

Consider how your restaurant ordering system integrates with other systems. This can be your POS system and the hardware systems you may already have in place for your business. Such efficient integration can save time and reduce errors by automating all kinds of data flows between different systems. Your restaurant may grow over time, so making sure to use software that can scale with your business is important. 

• Analyzing Customer Support and Training Options

You choose your restaurant ordering system, and you are all set to go until you need the first technical support outside regular business hours. So, always check for after-sales services such as 24/7 customer care support to ensure you get assistance as and when needed. 

This also involves considering the level of training and customer support offered by the ordering system provider. 

• Reading Reviews and Getting Recommendations

Customer reviews and recommendations are crucial for the success of your restaurant business. Consider using an ordering system that enables you to gather their feedback frequently. It will enable you to enhance your operations for better customer satisfaction over time.

Final Thoughts

A restaurant ordering system has become an indispensable part of modern restaurants that want to optimize their resources and facilities and deliver customer satisfaction. These systems can help you streamline order management and create an efficient collaboration with different components of your business, especially when integrated with Restaurant Management Software, which enhances overall operational efficiency.