Top 10 Best Online Ordering Systems

The pandemic had a profound impact on our lifestyles and also on the way we eat.  Off-site dining is the new normal, and online ordering systems are our new friends. Whether it be the usual early morning caffeine-run or the occasional steak dinner, the ordering systems take care of it all.

It’s a no-brainer for restaurant owners that an online food ordering system is the key to success in this new landscape. However, they often find themselves torn between the plethora of options available in the market. But worry not! We’ve got you covered. 

Whether you are still brainstorming about which platform to subscribe to or not getting the kind of results you expected with your current setup, this list of top 10 online food ordering systems will answer all your questions. We have aggregated, analyzed, and ranked the best solutions available out there for restaurant online ordering software.

Some of the parameters we considered for assorting this list are price, advanced features, ease of use, and reliability. So let’s jump right into it and see what the best restaurant online ordering systems have got to offer.

1. JungleWorks

Jungle Works offers an array of on-demand solutions that can be readily deployed. Yelo is one of the weapons in their arsenal that takes care of the online marketplace needs of its customers. It lets you create food delivery apps and websites without writing a single line of code.

They offer a robust backend that comes loaded with all the features necessary for an efficient restaurant delivery system. Be it for a standalone restaurant, food marketplace, or a catering service geared towards events, Jungle Works has got you covered. 

You get stunning themes for product listings, reviews & rating sections, geofencing functionality, 100+ payment gateways, and a whole range of other attributes that make your service appealing to customers.

When it comes to food delivery app development, the ease of backend management also dictates the extent of success for the business. Jungle Works offers you inventory management, a time-based menu, product variants, an interactive dashboard, live chat, customizable notifications, and lots more. 

Along with real time-tracking and updates, there is the route optimization feature for drivers to easily find the best way possible to reach customers and carry out timely deliveries.

JungleWorks packs in tons of frontend features for owners as well as customers. They also work behind the scene to get you ample traffic on the restaurant website. The platform takes care of SEO, social logins, gift cards, and loyalty points to help you garner a loyal following. All this happens while adhering to the highest standards of security to keep your as well as customer’s data safe.

JungleWorks follows a subscription-based model. It means you pay just once, and all the profit you make goes directly into your pocket. 

There is no bar on the number of orders that you can process, so scalability is never an issue on this platform. Their pricing plans take care of small businesses as well as enterprises alike. You can choose between monthly and annual plans, and get the one which best suits your needs.

Jungle Works is the most comprehensive restaurant ordering software solution you can find out there. However, this comprehensiveness sometimes leads to longer onboarding times- a rare con of Jungle Works’ offering. 

Pros:

• Plenty of themes for branding
• Multiple payment gateway integrations
• Geofencing 
• Driver app
• Inventory management
• Route tracking
• Social integration
• SEO
• Live chat
• Commission-free 

Cons:

• Takes time to get used to all the features

2. Toast 

Toast online ordering offers a convenient and reliable restaurant online ordering system. It allows you to set up your restaurant’s online version with all its branding bells and whistles. 

It makes sure that your restaurant’s website and app reflects personality, and customers get a familiar experience of your physical restaurant. The system also lets your customers place orders in advance from all kinds of devices.

Its online restaurant management software framework keeps errors at bay and connects you directly to customers at any point of the cycle. The system allows you to manage and modify the menu anytime, send out notifications, and control the number of orders you wish to manage at once.

You can subscribe to Toast’s services and start your business operations easily. However, the initial setup cost can be a bit heavy on your pocket. Another downfall of using Toast is that it will be your payment processor, and that can be a significant issue for some restaurant owners.

Pros: 

• Custom branding
• Takes orders in advance
• Multiple device support

Cons:

• Costly setup
• Charges a percentage of transaction for payment processing
• Inconsistent customer support

3. ChowNow

ChowNow helps you establish an online food ordering system by building efficient apps and website for your restaurant. It also offers you a network of commission-free delivery partners that aid with in-store pickup and curbside delivery. 

ChowNow does a great job of attracting new customers by leveraging social media. With ChowNow, you can have your Instagram followers order directly from your stories and posts. 

It brings the same functionality to your Facebook page as well. The ChowNow app acts as another source of valuable leads for your businesses. However, you’ll have to share a part of the profit for orders coming from this channel.

Its centralized dashboard for the food delivery system and handy customer support makes your presence worthwhile on the platform. However, one major drawback of this platform is that it doesn’t let you add images to the menu. The absence of this simple feature can sometimes be detrimental to the success of restaurant businesses.

Pros:

• Social integrations
• Multi-menu ordering
• Custom apps and website

Cons: 

• Sluggish user interface
• Can’t add images to the menu

4. Cloud Waitress

Cloud Waitress offers a wide range of solutions to aid the digital transformation of your restaurant business. Apart from the usual online ordering, pickup, and delivery features, it offers reservation and dine-in functionalities, as well. 

Its restaurant online ordering software is easy to infuse with your brand colors and logos, and order management is a breeze irrespective of the channel you use to receive orders.

This restaurant system ordering software comes packed with features such as real-time order receipt, landing page generator, age verification system, multi-store management, staff accounts, analytics & customer tracking, and so much more. It also offers numerous payment gateway integration options for smoother business operations.

Building your own food delivery app can easily become an expensive affair. Ready-to-go platforms like these deal with this challenge by offering affordable solutions. 

Cloud Waitress also comes with a subscription model to make it easy on your pocket. The analytics on this platform isn’t as advanced compared to some of the table toppers, and that is one of its biggest cons.

Pros: 

• Easy order management
• Multi-store management
• Payment integrations

Cons: 

• Primal analytics
• Lack of design tools
• Absence of inventory management

5. MenuDrive

MenuDrive lets you build a restaurant website that can keep up with the new norms. It comes with a ton of customization properties that lets you create just the kind of digital store version you envisioned. It is surprisingly easy to set up your establishment on this platform, and it claims to get started in less than an hour.

MenuDrive supports your business with a useful marketing toolkit and valuable business insights. With actionable data and marketing tools to drive more traffic, you can easily boost sales while on this platform. 

While MenuDrive works on a subscription-based model, it charges a fee for credit card transactions. The fact that it does not offer native mobile applications to businesses doesn’t help its case either. MenuDrive needs to fill in these gaps to become a more desirable restaurant online ordering system.

Pros: 

• Variety of customization options
• Easy setup
• Marketing toolkit

Cons: 

• Transaction fee for credit card processing
• No native mobile applications
• Basic delivery features

6. iMenu360

iMenu360 is a restaurant management platform solution that is easy to set up and convenient to operate. It comes with all the features deemed necessary on a restaurant online ordering system. 

It comes with a ready to go tablet and WiFi printer combination. All you need to do is participate in the two-step setup process, and your restaurant goes online. iMenu360 is one of the rare services that offer hardware tools. Depending on the nature of the restaurant, it can be liberating as well as limiting for businesses. The features include mobile ordering, delivery zone geofencing, loyalty programs, coupon engine, restaurant manager app, and more.

Even though iMenu360 is an advanced solution, there are some significant drawbacks to going with this platform. Their pricing model isn’t the most transparent one and they charge you a percentage of every credit card transaction. They also lack some integration options that are easily available on other online food ordering system platforms.

Pros:

• Mobile ordering
• Geofencing
• Coupon engine

Cons:

• Cloudy pricing model
• Lack of payment integration options

7. OrderEM

OrderEM is another restaurant management system software that can help your business thrive in the new normals of the post-pandemic world. It helps you design a powerful and convenient online food ordering system that your customers can easily use. The platform creates custom websites and apps for your business and even brings Facebook ordering into the mix.

However, the platform lacks delivery solutions, which can be a dealbreaker for a lot of customers. The analytics section of OrderEM is also not among the most impressive ones and you should look into it a bit more carefully before making any decision.

Pros:

• Custom website
• Native app
• Facebook ordering

Cons: 

• Lack of delivery solutions
• Basic analytics
• No loyalty programs

8. 247Waiter

247Waiter is a DIY restaurant online ordering solution. The system is simple to set up and get started. They offer you a website and an online ordering system that works round the clock to serve your business. The branded website, access to invaluable customer data, geofencing, and online & offline payment options are some of the perks you get by choosing this platform.

While these are indeed handy features, 247Waiter doesn’t seem to have anything groundbreaking to offer. It might also be the reason why there are among the most pocket-friendly solutions on this list. If you are looking for nothing but the most basic features, then 247Waiter might suit your needs.

Pros: 

• Simple setup
• SEO
• Branded website

Cons:

• Lack of advanced features
• Absence of delivery management

9. GloriaFood

GloriaFood is also among the simpler food delivery system solutions on the list. It lets you manage all the pickup, delivery, and dine-in operations from a single hub without having your staff break a sweat. You can easily accept orders coming from the website as well as your Facebook page and manage them through your smartphone.

Its delivery solution gives you full control over the areas you wish to provide delivery services and then accepts orders only from those areas. However, it does not offer any payment integration services, and you need to subscribe to their credit card processing service to be able to accept online payments.

Pros: 

• Pickup, delivery, and dine-in operations
• Social integrations

Cons:

• Lack of payment integration options
• Absence of food delivery dispatch feature

10. Restolabs

Restolabs is an online restaurant order management system software with great emphasis on boosting sales and nurturing customer relationships. It offers the usual branding and menu customization options for website and smartphone offerings. It has Facebook ordering and multiple payment integration options to help your business.

While Restolabs does a satisfactory job of providing ample sales channels, there seems a lack of analytics and management tools on this platform. It is one key section where we would like to see them improve. 

Pros:

• Menu customization options
• Branded website
• Facebook ordering

Cons:

• Lack of analytics tools
• Comes with only basic management tools

The wrap-up

Choosing the right online food ordering apps for your business is tricky. You must have a clear understanding of your requirements and then map them against the platform’s offerings. You now know what the top platforms are capable of and how they can address your business pain points. Moreover, it’s much easier for you to gauge the efficiency of food ordering systems that offer a free-trial. So go ahead and brace the new normal and climb the ladder of success with an excellent restaurant online ordering software.