Your Own Online Ordering System for Restaurants: The Guide

The big delivery platforms bring reach, but in return charge sometimes substantial commission per order and don't pass the customer relationship on to you. Your own ordering channel costs less per order, belongs to you and gives you your regulars' data. In practice the two often complement each other: the platform for new customers and visibility, your own channel for regulars and repeat orders.

The decisive difference isn't only the price, but control. On a platform, someone else's algorithms decide how visible you are, and in case of doubt the guest stays the platform's customer – not your regular. Through your own channel you control the menu, prices, offers and communication yourself.

• Delivery platform: high reach, quick new customers, but ongoing commission and no guest data.
• Your own channel: lower cost per order, full control, your own guest data – but you have to draw attention to yourself.
• Combination: use the platform as a shop window, deliberately steer regulars to your own channel.

For most businesses the question is therefore not either/or. A deliberate division of roles makes sense: the platform takes on the job of reaching new guests who don't yet know your business. Your own channel takes on the job of binding guests, once won, permanently and cheaply. Anyone who separates these roles clearly uses the strengths of both routes without paying too much commission in the long run.

Commissions on delivery platforms can make up a noticeable share of the order value – with small baskets in particular, little is often left after commission and payment fees are deducted. Anyone wanting to reduce platform costs should know the share of platform orders and check which of them are actually regulars.

The most effective lever isn't dropping platforms, but gradually shifting repeat orders to your own, lower-commission channel. That keeps the reach while the most expensive repeat orders become cheaper. A guest ordering for the second or third time no longer needs the platform to find you – they already know you.

• Point regulars to your own ordering channel with notes on the packaging, inserts or at the counter.
• Place the direct-order link clearly visible on your website, Google profile and social media.
• Offer incentives such as a small extra or a voucher for the first direct order.
• Regularly analyse the order volume per channel and compare the total cost per order.

With click & collect, guests order and pay online and pick up the finished order themselves. It is the simplest entry point into online ordering – without delivery logistics, without your own drivers and without commission to a third party. For businesses with passing trade or loyal lunch guests in particular, pickup is a quick, calculable start.

Why pickup is especially worthwhile

Because there are no delivery costs and no platform mediation, more of the order value stays in the business. Pre-ordering also smooths out peak times: the kitchen can prepare orders instead of working through everything at once. And because guests make the journey anyway, click & collect is also possible where delivery isn't worthwhile due to distance or a shortage of staff.

What to watch with pickup

• State realistic pickup times and a clear lead time, so nothing goes cold or is ready too early.
• Set up a fixed, easy-to-find pickup point – ideally separate from regular service.
• Label orders clearly and handle payment online in advance, to avoid waiting times.

Anyone wanting to deliver faces a fundamental decision: employ your own drivers or hire an external delivery service. Both routes have clear pros and cons that depend on order volume, the delivery area and your staffing options.

Your own driver

With your own drivers you keep full control over quality, presentation and delivery time – and you save the external services' mediation margin. In return you carry the staff, vehicle and insurance costs as well as the planning effort yourself. This pays off above all with stable, regular delivery volume in a manageable area.

External delivery service

An external service handles delivery for a fee and scales flexibly – ideal for starting without your own staff or for cushioning peaks. In return you give up a piece of control over the delivery experience and pay per delivery. Some businesses combine both: their core area with their own driver, off-peak times and outliers via an external service.

Whatever the model: set the delivery area, minimum order value and delivery costs clearly and communicate realistic delivery times. Clean ground rules protect the margin and avoid frustration for guests. Also pay attention to packaging that keeps food warm and transport-proof – the quality at the front door decides whether a guest orders from you again.

With QR ordering, guests scan a code at the table, see the digital menu, order themselves and pay directly. That eases the load on service at peak times, shortens waiting times and can raise the average bill, because guests browse at their leisure and reorder easily.

QR ordering doesn't replace personal service, it complements it: repeat orders, drink refills and paying go faster, while your team has more time for advice and hospitality. An always-current digital menu also makes price and range changes easier, because you don't have to reprint anything.

Flexible use makes sense: in quiet phases or for dishes that need explaining, classic service remains the first choice; at peak times or in the outdoor area, the QR code takes pressure off the team. The important thing is that guests keep the choice and don't feel left to their own devices – the technology should make the visit more pleasant, not more impersonal.

• Assign QR codes clearly to the respective table, so orders are delivered correctly.
• Keep the digital menu clear and place recommendations or upsells sensibly.
• Offer common online payment methods, so paying at the table runs smoothly.

Digital vouchers are an easy source of extra income – especially before public holidays and in quieter periods. Guests buy online and receive the voucher immediately, for instance as a gift. That ties up revenue in advance and often brings in new guests who get to know the business for the first time when redeeming.

Value vouchers are flexible and uncomplicated; promotional or experience vouchers – for a set menu, say – lend themselves well to targeted promotion. The important thing is easy redemption in day-to-day business, so that vouchers are neither used twice nor cause confusion.

For vouchers to genuinely bring in revenue, they need to be visible: a fixed spot on the website, a note in the ordering process and a timely reminder before occasions such as Christmas, Mother's Day or Valentine's Day. Anyone who integrates the voucher purchase into the same channel orders run through anyway lowers the barrier – guests don't have to learn anything extra.

Online ordering systems differ not only in price but above all in how well they fit your workflows. Before you commit, it is worth a sober comparison against fixed criteria – not against the loudest advertising promises.

• Cost model: commission per order, monthly base costs and payment fees – ideally transparent and without hidden items.
• Range of features: pickup, delivery, QR ordering and vouchers, as far as possible from one system.
• Usability: easy menu upkeep, clear order acceptance and understandable analytics.
• Integration: embedding into your website and Google profile plus reliable notification in the kitchen.
• Guest data: you keep access to your customer data and can reach regulars directly.

A common mistake is to be guided by price alone. A cheap system that is awkward to maintain or reports orders to the kitchen unreliably costs more in the end – in time, in errors and in lost guests. Conversely, the biggest range of features is of little use if it goes unused day to day. Choose the system that fits your actual way of working.

For a structured overview, neutral provider comparisons in the magazine help further. The gastronomx "Online Ordering" feature bundles pickup, delivery, QR ordering and vouchers into a channel of your own; the Help Centre answers detailed questions about setup.

An orderly start prevents friction. This sequence has proven itself:

1. 1Set the range: which dishes are suitable for pickup or delivery and stay in good quality on the way?
2. 2Define times and area: set ordering times, lead time, delivery area and minimum order value clearly.
3. 3Set up payment: offer common online payment methods, so the purchase completes smoothly.
4. 4Embed the channel: place a clearly visible order button on your website and Google profile.
5. 5Test the workflows: run through ordering, kitchen notification and handover once in full.
6. 6Promote and analyse: point regulars to your own channel and analyse orders regularly.

Deliberately start small – with pickup only, for example – and add delivery, QR ordering and vouchers once the workflows are firmly in place.

Compare not just the nominal commission but the total cost per order – including payment fees and any base costs. Work out from what order volume your own channel pays off against the platform. Your own channel is often clearly cheaper for regulars, because the mediation margin falls away here. Honesty with yourself matters in this: reach has a value, and your own channel also creates effort for upkeep and promotion. Only when both sides are fully captured does the comparison give a solid picture – rather than a number that only looks good on paper.

• Capture all cost types: commission, monthly base costs and payment fees.
• Calculate the actual cost per order per channel, not just the percentage.
• Take the share of regulars into account – they are cheapest via your own channel.
• Repeat the comparison regularly, as terms and the order mix change.

Your own ordering system lowers the cost per order, gives you back the guest data and can be used flexibly for pickup, delivery and QR ordering at the table. The simplest entry point is click & collect – without commission and without delivery logistics. Delivery, QR ordering and vouchers can come later. An honest cost comparison remains important: anyone who knows the total cost per order and deliberately steers regulars onto their own channel keeps margin and the customer relationship in their own hands.