Top 5 Hi-Tech Restaurant Online Ordering Platforms 2020–2021
Online Ordering and Food Delivery companies have become the only “winners in this COVID -19 pandemic” situation. HOW?
Online ordering systems for restaurants works on the principle of receiving orders from customers via computers and smartphones. With the penetration of social distancing norms, experts highlight a massive increase in the restaurant-to-customers food delivery category by the end of 2020.
So if you are a restaurant owner trying to move operations online, the search for a reliable, pocket friendly, and feature-rich online ordering platform must have already begun! Which online ordering system for a restaurant is the best? Well, that depends on you, the restaurant owners, by understanding the key features of the system.
Here we’ve shortlisted top 5 hi-tech online ordering companies that should help you pivot seamlessly and effectively.
1. FreshBytes
Applauded as one of the simplest and fastest emerging online ordering platforms in the times of COVID-19, FreshBytes offers branded, mobile-friendly, and commission-free services with fully integrated online ordering features — premium website designs, social media ordering, one-touch reordering, print kitchen tickets, consultative onboarding, 24/7 customer support, and smart messaging. And that’s just scratching the surface.
“Contactless Dine-in” is a key feature, now available on FreshBytes, that uses QR-code based menus to order. This expanded product offering differentiates the platform from other online order systems available in the market.
For restaurants that don’t have their own delivery fleet, the online ordering service has recently partnered with DoorDash to provide a flat-free delivery service to fulfill online orders. Read the full PR here. This partnership aims at helping businesses to make a smooth transition from traditional dining to a delivery-only kitchen.
Furthermore, the website ordering system is ADA compliant, which is a prerequisite for many established brands and franchise operations. As for marketing, the intuitive dashboard automatically gathers customer and product data to help you manage growth.
Pricing: FreshBytes’ pricing plans are pretty straightforward that enable quick decision making for restaurant owners. They charge a flat monthly fee of $89 per location + $99 one time set up fee for website ordering services. You can also empower your restaurant marketing team with their Marketing Automation plan, available for just $40 per month. Check out the details here.
2. Chownow
Chownow, a SaaS-based online ordering platform, has come a long way since its inception. After servicing restaurants with a simple, yet powerful commission-free online ordering system, ChowNow has now partnered with Uber and Postmates to offer their clients with order delivery features called Flex Delivery service.
The technology enables independent restaurants to take orders via their own branded channels, such as websites, mobile app, Facebook, Instagram, and even Google Search, making it easy for diners to connect with their favorite restaurants online.
Pricing: The annual plan starts at $119 per month with an additional $399 set up fee per location. They also charge a certain percentage of the plan as credit card processing fees. Chownow is definitely the most expensive tech partner to have in the online ordering segment. They do offer other packages for a one-year or two-year sign up to suit the specific requirements of small businesses. Check pricing details here.
3. Gloria Food
Gloria Food takes pride in being the only “No strings Attached” food online ordering platform. From taking unlimited orders at zero costs to strengthen your business with its online presence, Gloria Food is one of its kind that turns your business into a fast money-making machine.
The customers are fond of their high customization capabilities at low costs. In addition, it has a WordPress Plugin that directly helps you add an online ordering and table reservation functionality to your existing WordPress restaurant website.
Pricing: Gloria Food offers 2 Service Plans. The “Free Service Plan” includes free website widgets, Facebook ordering capability, restaurant order taking app, detailed reports, and in-built marketing tools. You’ll need to pay additional premium features like payment integrations, branded websites, and personalized customer experience. Click here to get more details.
4. MenuDrive
MenuDrive, a comprehensive online ordering system, gains importance with its special offer to transform the restaurant menu into a custom-designed and attractive website. The custom features involve the fast & reordering button, customized rewards, and coupon builder.
Menu Drive lacks built-in payment processing functionality, although it gets integrated with other POS systems. Interestingly, the powerful CRM capabilities of Menu Drive can get a seat in your wish lists.
Pricing: MenuDrive’s basic plan starts at $99 per month per location along with a $99 one-time setup fee. In addition to this, they charge a 3.5% credit card processing fee + 15¢ per transaction, which can be pretty expensive for small restaurants that operate on razor-thin margins. Click for more details
5. Ordering.co
With few notable variations, Ordering.co is also considered best among the top 5 hi-tech restaurant online ordering companies. The notable features seem to be a user-friendly interface, interactive website, automated customer support & App support that resolves queries in real-time.
To achieve high conversion rates, it can be a good option for the local restaurant owners, food trucks, cafe shops, and catering businesses.
Pricing: Ordering.co comprises of multiple packages, starting with the “Starter Bundle” at $149 per month and goes up to $299 per month for online ordering only service. For those looking for a bundled deal with delivery support, the pricing starts at $399 per month. Get more details here.
By 2021, the experts predict that an estimated 80% of restaurants would be “off-premise” i.e. the major part of their revenue would be coming from online food delivery and takeaways. This is because people are choosing convenience and safety over experience. Therefore, it is the right time to launch your business online with the support of the right technology partner.
