Building an in-house online ordering system is unrealistic for most restaurants, and there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel either. You’ll find dozens of pre-built solutions that will work just fine for your eatery.
We’re going to review the best online food ordering systems in 2024 because:
- Online orders are up 300% since 2014
- 60% of diners into order more online
- 62% of consumers order food online at least once per month
If you want to cash in on online ordering, you can use some of the ordering platforms below to get started.
7 Best Restaurant Online Ordering Platforms
Offering online ordering is one of the best decisions that you can make in 2024, and it’s honestly something that your customers will expect you to do. The following online platforms are the best among dozens that you can start using.
1. DoorDash
DoorDash is an online restaurant ordering system that almost everyone knows about. Every plan offers the options of:
- Pickup ordering with a 6% commission on each order
- Storefront option without any commissions, but you’ll need to pay for the processing fees, which are 2.9% + $0.30.
If you want DoorDash to deliver food to customers, you can do so with the base option of 15% commission and the highest option of 30% commission. Higher commission fees are justified because DoorDash will deliver much farther, which means that you’ll maximize your overall reach.
Your storefront will offer easy processing, branding and more.
2. GrubHub
GrubHub offers online food ordering for restaurants with seamless integration and a turnkey technology package. You can use the platform’s solutions, which include:
- Access to GrubHub’s marketplace for easy online ordering
- Delivery options and fulfillment that are designed to match your needs
- Point-of-sale solutions with in-depth tech integration
If you want to begin offering more ordering options for your customers, you can offer:
- GrubHub delivery, which uses GrubHub’s own drivers to deliver food
- Self-delivery options, where your staff delivers food - this is free
- Supplemental delivery, where you deliver to a farther range using GrubHub
- Pickup options for your patrons who want to swing by and come in to pick up their order
Partnering with GrubHub is a fast and easy way to supercharge your restaurant’s online ordering and delivery capabilities.
3. TouchBistro
TouchBistro offers restaurant delivery systems that are designed around being an all-in-one solution. For example, you can connect your front and back of the house seamlessly with an easy way for guests to:
- Order in-person or online
- Offer discounts
- Take reservations
- Create loyalty programs
You’ll appreciate the 13+ years of the platform being refined because it allows you to do much more than just offer online ordering. You can manage staff, your menu, floor and table plans and so much more.
4. UberEATs
UberEATS is more than just an online menu ordering system – it's also a third-party delivery solution for restaurants. You don’t have to use their delivery service, though. They offer flexible pickup and delivery options, so you can choose a solution that works best for you.
Restaurant owners can also take advantage of order management tools to streamline front-of-house tasks. You can even integrate UberEATS into your existing POS to get up and running as quickly as possible.
5. Square
Square is a well-known POS, but they also offer specialized solutions for restaurants, including Square Online. With Square Online, customers can place orders online and you – the restaurant owner – can manage orders (online, in-person and from social) with ease.
The advantage of Square is that they simplify the process for restaurant owners. They offer website themes designed with restaurants in mind, and make it easy to implement online ordering onto your website and app.
With flexible payment options (Square Pay, Cash App Pay, Apple Pay and Google Pay), customers can pay with their preferred method and go through the checkout process faster. You can even integrate with Order with Google to make online ordering even easier.
Square allows you to get started for free and upgrade to paid plans that are very affordable.
6. Toast
Toast is a great option for restaurant ordering software if you’re looking for a system that can handle POS, payroll and more. Toast offers specialized options for different types of restaurants, so whether you run a pizzeria, brewery or a fine dining restaurant, your solution will be tailored to your needs.
Toast’s solution is cloud-based, so it’s accessible from anywhere. Their hardware setup is customizable, and you can handle multiple functions from one central location.
Their online ordering solution integrates seamlessly with Toast POS, and orders are commission-free. Your online ordering system can be branded, and your menus can be SEO-optimized.
Overall, Toast is a robust solution for online ordering and can also serve as your POS or even your delivery provider.
7. UpMenu
UpMenu is a digital ordering system for restaurant websites, but the platform has a lot of perks that go beyond just online ordering. They offer seamless installation, commission-free ordering and a branded mobile app that helps drive customer loyalty.
If you don’t have a website yet, they can even help with that.
If you don’t want to invest in custom app development, UpMenu’s platform is a great option because you can create a branded app for push and SMS campaigns to boost sales without any technical skills required.
UpMenu’s features include:
- Food ordering system
- Mobile apps
- Website builder
- Tableside ordering
- QR code menu
- Reservation system
- Google ordering
They offer a free 7-day trial and three tiers of pricing to meet your needs and budget.
Conclusion
These online ordering systems are some of the best available in 2024. The right one for your restaurant will depend on your goals. Do you want to offer online ordering and delivery? If so, a third-party solution may be the better option for you. If you handle deliveries in-house or just want an easy way for customers to order online and pick up, a POS software solution may be ideal. Compare your options to see which one will work best for your restaurant.