Top 10 Online Ordering Systems for Restaurants to Look Out for in 2021 (Updated)

2020 is the year that exploded the demand for online ordering systems, reshaping the way the restaurant industry has operated so far. With new entrants in the market delivering the best of restaurant tech, I decided to revisit my 2020 list and update it with the latest, but highly efficient online ordering systems helping restaurants across the world to fight the effects of the pandemic and stay afloat during the challenging times.

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What is online ordering? Why suddenly it has become the wave of the future for restaurants all over the world? Do they guarantee profitability or are they just another exploratory contraption of the digital era? Let’s find out

Online ordering and delivery platforms have become the most powerful force in the business industry today. They offer maximalism and convenience — two cardinal facets of the millennial life. Apparently, with technology penetration, mainly online penetration, 82% of Americans using smartphones are ordering-in instead of dining out.

According to the latest report, from February to April 2020 there was a 170% increase in the number of restaurants using in-house online ordering systems to get direct orders. 36% of restaurants quickly pivoted to takeout and delivery, recording a 56% increase in weekly sales via online ordering.
This is not a temporary trend. We have seen an uptick in online orders in all types of geographic areas.

Experts predict that by 2024, 79% of restaurants in the USA alone will be spending more on“off-premise” offerings i.e setting up efficient systems for deliveries, drive-throughs, and takeaways. This is because operators have seen how the demand for off-premises dining has grown exponentially in the last year, which now accounts for 70 percent of the total restaurant business, according to industry reports.

Not getting enough customers at the pizzeria? Open up a new revenue stream with an in-house online ordering and delivery system. This will help you reach more customers and increase your profitability by as much as 30 percent. Learn more about the benefits of online ordering here.

Now the question arises, which online food ordering system should you tie-up with? Are all built equal? What are the features that one should look for before making the final decision?

Well, the answer is simple, learn about all the available options on the market, analyze their offerings, compare their prices, and decide which one is best suited for your business.

Of course, I can simplify your work by giving you the download of the best top 10 online ordering systems for restaurants that will help you understand the key features that differentiate these companies from one another. These Software-as-a-service (SaaS) ordering systems are fully functional platforms that you can instantaneously integrate with your current architecture.

In 2021 and beyond, if you really want to keep your kitchen running, and profitably, you must have a strong online presence — particularly a website and a mobile app that enables customers to place orders at convenience.

Restolabs

Restolabs has specifically built its online portal to cater to small and medium establishments. If you’re looking for a system that seamlessly shuttles your online orders directly to existing POS, enables social media ordering, as well as offers digital marketing tools — all under one roof — Restolabs could be a boon.

The platform also offers an excellent, branded in-house online ordering system. If you don’t have a website, their team can put everything on one easy, user-friendly template so you can start selling your food online in less than 15 minutes. Easy Peasy and Quick!

Update 2021: In the wake of COVID-19, Restolabs has launched no-touch ordering solutions that they are currently offering with existing subscription plans at no extra cost.

The monthly plan starts at $45 per month per store, quite affordable for the kind of features that they offer. If you are just starting out or don’t have a hefty budget to invest in an online ordering system, Restolabs could be an option to consider.

Update on 09.06.2020: In the wake of the pandemic outbreak, Restolabs is running a special campaign to help restaurants launch their own online ordering website and save on hefty commissions.

Check out the details here.

You can also schedule a FREE DEMO here

Tasti

Fast, reliable, and undeniably cost-effective, Tasti Online Ordering System can help you turn your restaurant menu into an interactive ordering website that your customers can use to place direct orders for takeaway, delivery, as well as dine-in. Customized, easy on the eyes, and one-click checkout are a few characteristics of the ordering site that you create through Tasti. These attributes ensure that your customers are able to place their orders without any distractions or glitches along the way.

Apart from providing an efficient ordering system for delivery, Tasti also caters to restaurants that offer takeaway, curbside, and touchless ordering facilities to their customers. Their contactless solutions are designed to ensure maximum safety and convenience at all touchpoints.

Tasti describes their plans as super simple and COVID-friendly. Currently, they are offering a Freemium plan for restaurants that hesitate to take the initial risk. If you own a small restaurant or an eatery expecting not more than 500 orders a month, then their Freemium plan can be a great starting point to test the market. Get more details on pricing here

MenuDrive

What makes MenuDrive different from the rest is its ability to transform a restaurant menu into an interactive website. You can customize the look of your website to match your brand’s theme.

With customer engagement features like customized rewards, coupon builder, fast-ordering & re-ordering options, this restaurant ordering system promises more return customers, more orders, and bigger ticket sizes.

The monthly plan starts at $99 per month per store.

Skip the Commission

As the name suggests, these folks want you to keep all the revenues to yourself. With features like live tracking, geo-fencing for delivery, free priority reports, and real-time availability management Skip the Commission is favored by high-tech small and medium-sized restaurants.

Skip the Commission hasn’t disclosed their pricing. This is because they provide customization solutions depending upon the different requirements of restaurants. All you have to do is fill in the form given on the website and their executives will call you to understand your requirement.

Gloria Food

To begin with, Gloria Food is a “Free”, with No Hidden Cost, online ordering platform for restaurants. Yes, but there’s a catch to it. In the FREE version, you get all the basic features of an online ordering website and app like ordering widget, Facebook ordering, order for later, and so on. But if you want to get a branded website/app, and premium features like credit card payments, website optimization, and so on, then you’ll have to pay anywhere between $19 and $29 per month. All in all, you get what you pay (or not pay) for.

ChowNow

Touted as one of the easiest and quickest platforms to launch online branding, ChowNow is one of the heavyweights on the market and preferred by some of the big names in the industry. In May 2019, ChowNow partnered with Google to make food ordering online more seamless for its partners and their customers. This means that now restaurants using ChowNow’s online ordering platforms can now take orders from their website, Facebook, Instagram — and now, across Google Search, Google Maps, and the Google Assistant.

What do they charge? The most popular is the $119/ month on a yearly plan, with a $199 set-up fee per location.

iMenu360

They want you to fight back against third-party portals that eat into your profits. At least, that’s what they say on their website. iMenu360 offers several impressive features that a restaurant required to launch an online food-ordering website. Bulk order capabilities clubbed with customizable design, loyalty programs, first-time discounts and seamless integration with existing portals make this online food ordering portal solution a complete package.

As for pricing, it can be a bit of turn-off for startups, as the standard package would cost you $39.99 per month along with 3% of net sales with the monthly cap not to exceed $150. There’s also a setup fee of $299.

RestroApp

If you wish to make your food available to your customers anytime-anywhere, Restroapp is a perfect platform for custom food ordering mobile app development. With technology and mobile penetration, companies are looking for robust food ordering mobile apps that can offer a number of functionalities at great prices, and Restore App fits the bill.

It provides features like menu management, push notifications, offers & discounts, order & history, loyalty program, refer & earn, multi-locations, and admin mobile app at absolutely no cost. Their Silver Package is designed for startups running on a tight budget.

Ordering.co

Not too far away from the expected, Ordering.co offers a lot of what the other companies on this list do with a few notable differences. Touted as the tech leader in online ordering and delivery optimization, Ordering.co features an easy-to-use interface, powerful payment integrations, and unparalleled customer support enabling you to achieve a high conversion rate. And it works perfectly on all devices.

The standard system for one portal starts at $29 per month. By far the cheapest that I came across in my research for top online ordering platforms.

Cloud Waitress

CloudWaitress is an all-in-one online ordering system that offers a greater degree of customization. You can use their built-in site editor to create your own custom, branded online ordering website. What more? If you run ads on Google, this platform will allow you to generate landing pages with a contact form that you can use to either direct customers to the website for ordering or collect the data. All websites built on Cloud Waitress are hosted on Google Cloud Platform.

Apart from this, you get all the basic online ordering and app features for FREE! Yes, their Starter package is absolutely free, and if you choose to go premium, you’ll have to pay just $39 per store/month. Not a bad deal, eh!

That’s all Folks!

Online ordering and food delivery have taken a big turn over the past few years. The sheer number of startups and the level of funding in this domain is overwhelming. With so many orders being made over smartphones, mobile ordering is expected to become a $38 billion industry by 2020 and that’s not far away.

Thinking to launch your own online ordering website and app? Perhaps, this could be the starting point of your research to make the best decisions about potential partnerships.