Why An Efficient Restaurant Online Ordering System Is Indispensable For Your Business.

People always love to eat food, and nobody can resist good food! In these hard times of Covid-19 and uncertainty in the form of lockdowns, the demand for online food ordering is at its peak. We have observed that even before these crises the demand for online restaurants and takeaways solutions was very high. But now with the focus on more safety & social distancing, this concept has gained more importance than ever before. So if you are in the business of food and catering then you must realize that this is the time to start an online food ordering system & offer customer-friendly food ordering options to benefit both your business and clients.

If you are ready to cope up with the current scenario & don’t want to see any blip in your food orders then you will very easily learn how to set up an online ordering system for your restaurant.

It is very critical to understand every aspect of an online ordering system for business so you can make changes & amendments according to changing trends and rules. I will help you to understand the importance & concept of the food order management system & later on, will help you to choose the best platform for this purpose.

Understanding The Online Ordering System for Restaurants

In today’s age of technology, an online ordering system for restaurants enables customers to order food directly from their phones or desktops. The payment option is also provided to the customer and he will pay with the completion of his order. This order will be placed & the restaurant will get notified of this order. The next step involves the delivery or takeaway option to take the order to its customer.

Build An Online Ordering System For Your Restaurant From The Scratch

So let’s talk about the best ways to either start or boost your online ordering system for business. There are several options available for you to take this initiative. The first, most effective & economical way to start this is by starting an online ordering system website. A website to represent, showcase and manage your online food orders for customers on the go. This will help your customers to make an order straight from you, and you’re not sourcing anything to a third party, so you can keep all the profits accumulated from every order.

Now you will be eager to learn how to make an online food ordering website for your business, or you will be having different questions in your mind. Let me explain the process of website creation a bit so you will already the answers to most of your questions.

There are many options to kick start your online food ordering system project with the help of web builders. Web builders such as Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly will help you to set up your food ordering system with no special effort and coding experience. WordPress is another option for you to exclusively create your own unique and customized website with various plug-ins like WooCommerce etc.

The next step is to implement the features & services that you want to include in your restaurant website system. Online food ordering website features must include the following options so a customer will not get any problem in ordering food due to any lack of any basic facility or option.

The management of Payment options for customers and takeaway/deliveries are the most important part of making a successful website. User-friendly interface and simple Ordering dashboard are also the key prospects in building a phenomenal user experience & help the customers to keep using your app.

All these things can be managed by utilizing the plug-ins and implementation of features in your website.

Though you will be required to opt for a fully customized website built from scratch with the help of developers to meet the higher levels of performance. Some people think that it is better to build an online ordering app instead of a website. Online ordering system cost & pricing can be a very decisive factor if you are not willing to invest a substantial investment of time and money in this project. There is another major advantage of online order app for business is that you can facilitate more customers on the go as now people don’t have time to even use their laptops and desktops.

Either you build a restaurant online ordering app or a website you are ultimately looking to build an efficient online ordering system for business. If you in short of revenue, time, or any other major constraint then you must not worry, because there are still other options available for you to take advantage of online ordering system software that are more economical and can save you a lot of time and effort.

Third-Party App The Instant Solution The Solution For Your Problem

Use of third party apps is the most popular option available for you if you are not willing to take the responsibility of managing orders yourself. Many restaurants rely on third-party apps to efficiently get their food to their customers. Examples of third-party apps for online ordering include GrubHub, Uber Eats, Doordash, ChowNow, EatStreet, and Postmates. Conveniently makes the process of handling online food orders a lot easier and seamless for online restaurants.

There will be a lot of questions in your mind, just don’t get over-excited and I will explain this option in detail. Some questions like, what is it? How we will use third-party apps to solve our online food ordering solutions for our business?

How third party apps will handle the orders, payments, and what you will get in the end?

What will be the procedure to start my business using this mode of business? To get started, you simply choose the app you want to use and head to their website. Next, fill out a signup form with basic details about your restaurant – this will then be passed on to the app team for them to review and approve.

What will be the requirements to get register? You will need to provide your basic information about the restaurant for the sign-up form, such as your location, cuisine type, and estimated number of weekly orders.

What will be the cost of using third-party apps? I will discuss the cost in the later stages first I would like to tell you about the concept and working of third-party apps and their key benefits.

A major benefit of this approach is that your restaurant will have greater exposure and a larger audience of potential new customers. Your restaurant will appear if the search criteria are met, which means you’ll get in front of customers who might not have dined with you before. Getting started with these systems is easy. You choose the app that you’d like to list on (you can choose multiple apps if you’d like) and fill out a signup form. This will enable you to add your restaurant to the platform, upload your menu, and more. There will likely be an approval process on the company’s end—but don’t fret, this shouldn’t take too long.

Your customers will then be able to make their orders through the app (via mobile or desktop), and you’ll get a notification of the orders coming through. You’ll enter the order manually to send it to your kitchen and then into your POS. The feature of the built-in point of sale gives you the ultimate control and feel of satisfaction over your business. Then, one of your drivers will get the order to the customer. Some of these apps have tracking abilities, so you can let your customers know when you’re on the way.

This approach is very simple and favored by many restaurants. The affordable fee to get started on the platform, and then the platform will take a small percentage of your order total as a processing fee. There are a few drawbacks but it is the best option to get started.

Along with using your desired third-party systems, you also can look into an app that will help your POS and third-party app talk to each other so you don’t have to manually accept the orders coming in and enter it into your POS. This is accomplished by apps such as Cake, Checkmate, Revel, and Toast. They’re called “integration apps,” which act as the middleman between your thirty-party online ordering app and your POS.

With this option, after your customer places their order through the third-party service, the integration app will automatically enter the information into your POS. It’s a much more streamlined process and allows less room for error since you’re not reentering details that come through the third-party app. If you’re super busy, this approach could be a no-brainer.

Off-Course third-party apps are not free but there are numerous benefits of paying a little if you are getting a lot of advantages. You will be able to represent your food, restaurant and menu in front of millions of customers. Deliveries are effortlessly handled for you – more convenient than handling everything yourself. One of the major drawbacks of using Third-Party is that you don’t get to keep all your profits – third-party apps will take a cut. That said, if you’re able to do more volume as a result of a good POS integration app, then the app could pay for itself. It is always recommended to check the free trials for a better understanding of the app functionalities.

Once you get your orders now it is time for the next stage of delivery and pickup.

Delivery Options

Naturally, you’ll want to make sure that part of your online food ordering system includes delivery. Many customers expect delivery—and, in fact, not offering it may be a dealbreaker for some. You have limited options for the delivery drivers. You can use in-house staff, you can look into gig help, or you can opt for a food delivery software to outsource this aspect of the business. Keep in mind, that the latter two options will require more capital than using in-house staff.

Pickup Options.

Delivery isn’t the only component of online food ordering, of course. Another important option is the pickup, of which there are two options: in-store and curbside.

In-Store pickup, customers may choose to pick up their order in-store, especially if they’re reticent to pay an online delivery fee and don’t want to increase their order total with a tip. Make sure that the online order pickup is easy and clear. Some restaurants choose to set up a table right by the entrance so customers can easily receive their orders.

Curbside pickup is an increasingly desirable option for many consumers. There are a few ways you can execute this; you can let customers know to call you when they arrive, or you can have them text a certain number. You should either ask for their car make and model to identify them, or you can number your parking spaces and have them relay in which spot they’re located. Some tips, best practices to increase the number of orders from your food ordering system.

Better User Experience.

It’s incredibly important that it’s easy to use your online ordering system to make sure that customers follow through with their orders and don’t abandon their carts. Many of the third-party platforms have made easy ordering a priority. If you’re not sure that you can build an easily navigable system on your own, you may want to factor that into your decision-making process and opt for a third-party solution instead.

Contactless Ordering

Minding best hygiene practices is more important to consumers than ever before. As you set up your online ordering system, it’s important to make sure that you offer the option for “contactless” delivery, which means that you can deliver to your customers without having to meet them face to face.

You can alert customers that their orders are waiting at their doorsteps by sending them a text message or giving them a call. Some platforms also include the option to send notes to the driver so they know where to leave the food. If you’re building your own platform, be sure that you let customers tell you the most convenient and safe option for delivery.

Lower Delivery Fees

Some restaurants choose to add a delivery fee to their orders. Many customers choose to go with restaurants that deliver for free, although it’s not possible for some restaurants to accommodate this. Carefully choose whether you want to include a delivery fee—you might even want to test whether you see an uptick in business with a lower fee.

Communication Channels

Sometimes, it’s possible that customers will want to make a change to their order after they’ve placed it. For instance, someone may accidentally select pickup when they’d like delivery or vice versa. Be sure your restaurant’s contact information is easily accessible, whether through your delivery service or on your website, so customers can get in touch should they need to.

More Flexibility In Payment Options.

Most customers will pay for online food ordering with credit cards. But offering other options such as PayPal, Google Pay, and Apple Pay may be a good idea to enable customers to pay exactly the way they’d like. Cash is often not a priority, especially in a contactless environment. If you’d like to offer cash on delivery, this may be an option as well, though it’s not as popular with customers ordering online.

Nice & Clear Menu List

When customers are dining in-house, it’s easy for them to inquire about any questions they have on the menu, whether that’s ingredients or substitutions. Those who are ordering from an online portal won’t have access to you, so menu clarity is the key.

Be sure that your customers know what ingredients are in your dishes, and be sure to flag any allergens such as nuts, soy, dairy, and gluten. You can also consider labeling which dishes are vegetarian and vegan, which will help guide customers with dietary restrictions. Depending on your platform, customers should be able to add notes if they’d like an ingredient left out, for instance. If you are not offering substitutions, be clear about that as well.

Good Images Are The Real Source Of Attraction For Customers

Some ordering platforms give the option to add photos. This could be a good strategy for your restaurant, especially if your dishes are especially photogenic. If you are choosing to add photos, make sure that they’re clear and well-styled—you don’t want your images to wind up turning people away instead.

Best Solution To Start Your Online Ordering System In A Flash

Clounote Online Ordering System is a trending online ordering platform among restaurants and bubble tea shops. Get an understanding of awesome features available inside this online ordering system. It is the best and most economical solution to help your restaurant to grow the business. Best suited for restaurants, pizza restaurants, bubble tea shops.

Clounote Online Food Ordering system

Clounote offers three main apps for different users to efficiently manage their delivery system.

• Customer android app, iOS app and web application for online ordering.
• Merchant android app for manage orders, drivers, and sales reports.
• Delivery rider android app for track driver location and order status.

Get your ordering app for your restaurant, for a cost of US $80 on monthly basis. You also have the option to purchase the whole system for a one-time payment by contacting the sales team. Clounote Online Ordering System is completely different from traditional third-party apps like Uber or other similar food delivery apps, as it carries your brand name and colors throughout the whole system.

The whole system is dedicated solely to your business and you don’t have to worry about the competitors. The good news is, once someone installs your app once, next time he will directly reach you to purchase foods or drinks. Additionally, you can push notifications directly to customer mobile phones about offers, promotions and discounts to bring him to your online store.

You can choose your home screen/menu screen design from hundreds of available templates according to your taste or you can request your custom design unique to your store. Custom design option is also available to create your own unique home screen/menu screen on additional one-time bill value.

Features Of US $80 Monthly Package of Clounote

• Android ordering app for the user.
• iOS ordering app for the user.
• Android phone or tab app for the restaurant to manage orders.
• Android app for drivers for track order delivery.
• Mobile & Web responsive web site for online ordering.

All features of Customer mobile app features available for Android and iOs Users

• Restaurant menu ( available multiple screen templates for choose).
• Menu item details (meal photo, description, price, portion size, ingredients, add extra toppings, etc.)
• Shopping cart management.
• Verify customer mobile number.
• Register the customer delivery address.
• Assign the customer order to the nearest restaurant branch.
• Set the maximum delivery range.
• Apply promo codes.
• Show promotion banners to the customer.
• Order history.
• Track order status and driver location in real-time.

The following features will be available to the Android users of the Restaurant dashboard mobile app.

• Accept/Cancel/Dispatch orders.
• Assign drivers to order delivery.
• Sales Reports (Visible only for Admin level)
• Multiple login levels. (Admin, Manager, staff member)
• Send notifications to customers ( regarding promotions and offers)

The app also facilitates the Drivers through the following features on the android platform.

• Driver mobile app features.
• Accept delivery orders from the restaurant.
• Navigate to customer order delivery location.

There will be the addition of more advanced features and utilities to encourage people to use online ordering online systems for their businesses. In the future, Clounote online ordering system will offer the following features to its valued users. Fully functional and advanced Point Of Sale System. Display restaurant promotions and menu slideshows in-display TV. In-app advertising module for host paid advertisements.