Restaurant Online Ordering System Market Leading Key Players 2019
When Badara Diakhate opened Badou Senegalese Cuisine in Chicago, the in-house customer traffic did not do justice to the delicious menu of this restaurant.
The slow customer turnout -is a good reason to panic for many restaurateurs. The reality is that within the first 3 years, over 60% of independently owned eating houses fail. But, for Diakhate’s venture, lack of foot traffic did not spell doom. That’s because while his physical location was not attracting enough customers, they were finding more patrons online.
His customers, who loved Diakhate’s food, never had a sad day, and that’s only because he could understand the importance of making food ordering a convenient experience for customers. Ordering food should not be a challenge at any stage, and if it is, then assume that you are losing about 50% of your business on a daily basis. Diakhate’s vision led him to incorporate online ordering system on his website that would not only make ordering food online easy but also enables his staff to focus better on business development and operations. Apart from this, his customers were now able to find his restaurant online, place orders in just a few clicks and most importantly, track their orders in real time. As a result, his business grew exponentially!
Even now, easy digital accessibility makes a huge difference in keeping Diakhate’s restaurant busy around the year.
Badara Diakhate’s experience is only one of the many success stories in the modern age of online ordering. Even the owner of the Orlando-based pizzeria Pizza Bruno, Bruno Zacchini experienced an immediate increase of 10% in sales when he tossed his landline phone in the garbage in favor of online ordering.
The global market for food delivery is at €83 billion or 1% of the total food market and 4% of food sold, via the fast food chains and restaurants. In most countries, it has matured already with a yearly growth rate estimated at 3.5% over the next 5 years. Thanks to the rise of digital technology, the market is getting reshaped and customers are accustomed to ordering, via websites or through their phones.
For restaurants hoping to reach more customers or create an online presence, restaurant online ordering software can provide a way to do so. Online ordering platforms are used by both front-of-house staff and kitchen employees to efficiently receive and deliver orders. In this article, we’ll take a look at 7 most popular online ordering platforms available for restaurants in 2019 and which ones are best suited for your restaurant business and why.
7 Key Leaders in The Market Offering Online Ordering Systems
Restolabs
Restolabs offers online ordering platform that makes it easy for restaurants of all sizes to take orders from their existing website, Facebook page, and through mobile apps. The cloud-based software not only helps restaurants move faster but also smarter with its robust technology and myriad of features such as Easy order management, mSg data analytics, multilingual support, Facebook ordering, driver management and a lot more. Check out the complete list of features here. Apart from this, it also allows restaurants to individually customize and brand their ordering apps, thereby, providing them with complete control over their restaurant menu and set up. The ability to customize their websites and apps to match their brand personality help restaurants connect better with their customers, creating a solid foundation to drive customer loyalty.
One of the biggest drop-offs, when you analyze the sales funnel of an online restaurant, is the checkout process. Complicated checkout processes, lengthy forms, and/or unfamiliar payment gateways are some of the major reasons causing customers to abandon their cart. Restolabs’ seamless payment integration makes the checkout process for new users 50% faster. It allows restaurants to integrate with almost 20–25 payment gateway providers that combat cart abandonment by 60–70%.
With a subscription model starting at $45/month, Restolabs emerges as a clear winner for both startups and established restaurants looking for high returns with low investment. The platform is bringing the convenience and simplicity of online ordering to thousands of restaurants by giving them access to the latest in technology at an affordable price. The 30 days free trial is an added bonus for first-time entrants in the online food ordering game.
This online ordering software with POS integration helps restaurants to boost customer experience. OLO powers mobile and online ordering for over 150 restaurant brands including Cold Stone Creamery, Five Guys Burgers and Fries and so on. OLO is an open, powerful platform that can be integrated with any device. In fact, its Software-as-a-Service digital ordering engine is specifically designed for restaurants with multiple locations.
The software works seamlessly with popular payment providers, POS systems and loyalty programs. Encompassing the entire operational process, down to individual stores, this software gives the control and visibility needed at every level. Menus can be managed from the executive dashboard. OLO makes use of Braintree’s robust payment gateway that streamlines its checkout process too.
Exclusively built to provide a POS system for restaurants and the foodservice industry at large, Toast POS is an effective and robust solution for different types of food service businesses including quick service, bars, and full-service restaurants. Making use of Toast’s handheld tablets, the servers at restaurants catering to dine-in guests can easily take tableside orders and process payments.
By creating orders in quick successions-ensures a guaranteed speedy transaction. Moreover, Toast POS is equipped with a loyalty program that is built-in and makes it easier for restaurants, as well as, customers to keep a track of the collection and usage of reward points. Morgan & York, Untamed Sandwiches, Odd Duck and Dazzle Jazz Club are some of the places where Toast POS are currently being used.
Menufy is considered to be the ideal online ordering system for restaurants seeking competitively priced, restaurant based online ordering experience. No recurring or startup fees are charged by Menufy and the online ordering menu is personalized as per the restaurant’s brand. The restaurant owners get to decide who pays the convenience fees — the customers or the restaurant. 24/7 customer support is available in Spanish, English, and Mandarin.
They have recently announced a partnership with LevelUp to provide restaurants with larger distribution channel to receive orders from. The initiative to help restaurants drive higher order volume and revenue.
ChowNow is an online ordering system that is specifically designed to work using every format that customers are likely to use. This system can be set up to place orders, via the website, mobile app and social media page including Facebook and Instagram. ChowNow is the ideal option to consider for restaurants whose customers are likely to use their social media or mobile devices to place orders. The yearly plan starts at $119/month, along with credit card processing fees. Wexler’s Deli, Taco Burrito King and Atomic Wings are some of the restaurants using ChowNow and boosting their sales and revenue.
MenuDrive provides a branded mobile and online ordering platform that offers marketing automation, customer analytics and a ton of other features. It helps restaurant owners enhance their revenue and beat competitors with this cutting-edge software.
They have a store management feature that makes it easy for restaurant owners to track sales, change menus, analyze their business marketing, process setup and more. With MenuDrive, orders can be received from a tablet, email, smart printer, web dashboard and so on.
This is an online ordering and marketing system for eating houses to take orders, via mobile, the web, and Facebook. This system allows restaurant owners to accept payments using their existing payment systems. The starting price is $89/month and a free demo is available.
Some of its features include management of menu, online ordering, sales trend analysis, order management and loyalty programs. Some of the clients of Orders2.me include Mr. Pizza, Maestro’s, Salem’s Market & Grill and so on.
Making a choice…
With so many software creating a major splash in the industry, picking the right online restaurant ordering system for your food or restaurant business can seem greatly overwhelming. What are the features that you need in order to increase the sales of your business? What if the software does not cover the features that you desire?
Hence, before making a choice, you must thoroughly go through your options, have a comparative study in place and pit the offerings against your requirements. After all, you do not want to go overboard with your expenditures on a completely new system, unless you have tried it for some time.
Ever changing and easily accessible technology is giving rise to extremely tech-savvy consumers. Customers have become more erudite and are always looking for convenience. They have no qualms about spending if it means getting great comfort and amazing service. At a time when competition in the food and dining business is strife, choosing the right online ordering system can be your saving grace and not just keep your business afloat, but help you thrive.
