How to Add Online Ordering to Your Restaurant

There are three main ways to accept online orders, and the one you choose will shape your costs, your customer relationships, and how much control you have over the experience.

Option 1: Aggregator platforms (Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat). They bring customers to you, handle delivery, and process payments. The trade-off is steep — commission rates of 15-35% per order, no access to customer data, and your restaurant becomes one of hundreds in a scrollable list. You are renting an audience, not building one.

Option 2: Your own direct ordering system. You set up a branded ordering page on your own website or domain. Customers order directly from you. You pay only payment processing fees (typically 1.5-2.5%) instead of 25-35% commission. You own the customer data, control the experience, and build a direct relationship. The challenge is driving traffic — customers will not find you unless you actively promote your ordering page.

Option 3: Both. This is what most successful restaurants do. Use aggregators for discovery and new customers, then convert those customers to direct ordering over time. It is a pragmatic approach that balances visibility with profitability.

• No commission on direct orders — on a £25 average order, the difference between 30% commission and 2% processing is £7 in your pocket. Over 200 orders a month, that is £1,400.
• Data ownership matters — when a customer orders through an aggregator, you do not get their email, phone number, or order history. With direct ordering, you know who your customers are and can reach them again.
• Branding and control — your ordering page should look like your restaurant, not like a marketplace. Customers ordering direct get your branding, your messaging, and your promotions.
• Look for the right platform features — menu management, order notifications, payment processing, delivery zone configuration, and customer data access. Avoid platforms that lock you into long contracts or charge setup fees.

Your online menu is not a PDF of your dine-in menu. It is a digital shopfront, and it needs to be designed for conversion — clear categories, appealing descriptions, and smart pricing that accounts for the realities of delivery and collection.

Start by editing, not copying. Go through your physical menu item by item. Some dishes are brilliant for delivery — curries, burgers, pizza, noodles, wraps. Others are a liability. Anything with a crispy element that will steam and go soggy in a container, anything that needs to be plated artfully, or anything that degrades quickly should be left off. A disappointing delivery order does more damage than a missing menu item.

• Invest in photography — items with photos get ordered 30-40% more often than those without. You do not need a professional shoot. A smartphone, natural light, and a clean surface will produce perfectly usable images. Shoot every item from above, keep the background consistent, and avoid filters.
• Write descriptions that sell — do not just list ingredients. "Grilled chicken breast with rice and salad" is functional. "Chargrilled chicken thigh marinated in lemon and herbs, served on fluffy basmati with a crunchy house salad" makes someone hungry. Keep it to two lines maximum.
• Organise categories logically — "Starters", "Mains", "Sides", "Drinks", "Desserts" is the obvious structure, but consider adding "Popular" or "Most Ordered" at the top. Customers often order from the first category they see.
• Set up modifiers and extras — "Add chips for £2.50", "Choose your spice level", "Swap to sweet potato fries +£1". These increase average order value and give customers the customisation they expect. A well-configured modifier system can add £2-£4 to every order.
• Mark allergens clearly — this is a legal requirement in the UK under Natasha's Law. Every item should list its allergens. Most ordering platforms have built-in allergen tagging — use it.

Each fulfilment method affects your operations, costs, and customer expectations differently. Most restaurants offer both delivery and collection, but it is worth understanding the implications of each before you launch.

Collection is the simplest starting point. There is no delivery cost, no driver logistics, and no concerns about food arriving cold. The customer places an order, you prepare it, and they pick it up. Set realistic preparation times — 15 to 25 minutes for most orders — and allow customers to choose a collection time slot if possible. The main thing to get right is a clear collection point so customers are not wandering around your restaurant looking for their order.

Delivery adds complexity and cost, but also reach. You need to decide on a delivery zone, set delivery charges, and figure out who actually delivers the food. There are three approaches: hire your own drivers (best margins, most control, but you need vehicles and insurance), use a third-party courier service like Stuart or local providers (per-delivery fee, typically £3-£6), or use aggregator delivery services (highest cost but simplest to set up).

• Set a sensible delivery zone — start with a 2-3 mile radius and expand once you are confident in your timing. A customer 5 miles away receiving cold food will not order again.
• Consider minimum order values — delivering a single £5 item is not viable. Most restaurants set a minimum of £10-£15 for delivery. This ensures each delivery is at least marginally profitable.
• Price delivery fairly — a flat delivery charge of £1.50-£3.50 is standard. Alternatively, offer free delivery above a threshold (e.g. orders over £25). Free delivery drives higher order values, but make sure the maths still work for you.
• Table ordering is a bonus — if you have dine-in customers, letting them order and pay from their phone at the table saves server time and can increase order values by 10-15%. It uses the same system as collection ordering, just with a table number instead of a collection time.

The most common failure point for restaurants adding online ordering is not the technology — it is the kitchen. A sudden influx of online orders during a busy dine-in service can overwhelm a kitchen that is not prepared for it. The key is to think about how orders arrive, how they are managed, and how staff need to adapt.

Choose how orders reach your kitchen. Most ordering platforms offer multiple options: a dedicated tablet that pings with each new order, automatic printing to a kitchen ticket printer, or integration with your existing POS system. A tablet is the simplest to set up — just plug it in, connect to Wi-Fi, and orders appear. A printer integration is better for busy kitchens where tickets on a rail are already the workflow. POS integration is the gold standard but may require compatible hardware.

• Separate online from walk-in tickets — use different coloured paper, a separate printer, or a distinct sound alert for online orders. During a rush, your kitchen team needs to instantly tell the difference between a table order and a delivery order.
• Set accurate prep times — if your average order takes 18 minutes to prepare, tell customers 20-25 minutes. Under-promising and over-delivering builds trust. Nothing frustrates a customer more than a "15 minutes" estimate that turns into 40.
• Use order throttling — most good ordering platforms let you limit the number of orders per time slot. If your kitchen can handle 10 orders per hour alongside dine-in, set that limit. It is better to turn away the 11th order than to deliver 10 late ones.
• Create a packing station — designate a small area near the kitchen exit for assembling delivery orders. Stock it with containers, bags, cutlery packs, napkins, and any printed inserts. A well-organised packing station saves minutes per order.
• Brief your team — every staff member needs to understand the online ordering workflow. Who accepts the order? Who prepares it? Who packs it? Who hands it to the driver or customer? Write it down. Stick it on the wall. Run through it in a pre-service briefing.

You have chosen your platform, built your menu, configured your delivery zones, and set up your kitchen workflow. Now it is time to go live. Resist the urge to announce it to the world on day one. A soft launch gives you room to make mistakes without them being public.

Start with a soft launch. Share your ordering link with staff, friends, and family first. Get them to place real orders and go through the full process — ordering, payment, preparation, delivery or collection. You will discover issues you never anticipated. Maybe the ticket printer cuts off long item names. Maybe the packaging for your curry leaks. Maybe your estimated prep time is wildly optimistic. Fix these before real customers encounter them.

• Test every payment method — card payments, Apple Pay, Google Pay. Place a test order yourself and go through the entire flow as a customer would. Check that confirmation emails arrive and that order details are correct.
• Train staff before going live — run through at least 5-10 practice orders with your team. Everyone should know the process cold. The first real Friday night rush is not the time for anyone to be asking "how does this work?"
• Promote to existing customers first — put up table talkers in your restaurant, mention it to regulars, post on social media, and add your ordering link to your Google Business Profile. Existing customers are your easiest first adopters because they already trust your food.
• Offer a launch incentive — 10% off or free delivery on the first order gives people a reason to try it now rather than later. Keep the offer time-limited (one to two weeks) to create urgency.
• Set realistic first-week expectations — most restaurants see 2-5 orders per day in the first week. Do not panic. Online ordering builds momentum gradually. By month two or three, with consistent promotion, 10-20 orders per day is achievable. By month six, well-promoted restaurants regularly hit 30-50 daily orders.

The first week is about learning, not earning. Pay close attention to every order — what went smoothly, what caused confusion, what customers said. Adjust your prep times, tweak your menu descriptions, and refine your packing process. The restaurants that succeed with online ordering are the ones that treat the first month as a continuous improvement exercise.