Restaurant managers have a lot on their plates, as there are many aspects to running a successful restaurant. Implementing an effective restaurant order system is just one area of restaurant management, but it’s an essential one.
From online ordering platforms that let customers order takeout and delivery to in-house processes that let orders go directly from customer to chef, various order management systems are worth considering. It’s essential to take your customers’ needs into account while also optimizing for ease of use and price.
With this comprehensive guide to restaurant order systems, restaurant owners can rest assured that they understand the various strategies available.
Restaurants serving food to dine-in or carryout customers (or both) need to set up an efficient in-house ordering system.
For many food businesses, the days of using simple paper tickets and a cash register are over. Modernizing the food ordering system in your restaurant can make it quicker and easier for customers to place orders and receive their food — but it can also simplify other aspects of your business operations, such as inventory management or marketing.
For instance, a point-of-sale system (also known as a POS system) might have built-in marketing tools. They’ll help you collate sales metrics and collect customer data through integrated customer loyalty programs, which you can then use to send automated email newsletters that entice customers back for another meal.
Let’s look at four restaurant order systems to see how they can help simplify your ordering process and integrate other aspects of your business operations.
Choosing the right ordering tools for your restaurant industry business can improve the overall ordering experience for customers. Here, we’ve listed the main types of restaurant order systems so you can decide what would work best for your business.
A POS system is an excellent alternative to a basic cash register. POS systems are useful ordering tools with payment-processing capability, so your staff can ring up orders and accept cash, credit card, gift card, and contactless payments.
They usually have additional functionality to help simplify various aspects of a restaurant’s operations. Many have built-in marketing tools, but you’ll usually find sales reporting and inventory tracking functions, too. By automatically updating your inventory count with each order, you’ll always know which ingredients are running low without doing a manual stock check.
POS systems are a handy tool for restaurant ordering, whether you run a full-service or casual-dining establishment. Most are available for a monthly fee or a per-order commission rate. Some options for restaurants include Square Restaurant POS and Toast POS.
Another great option for in-store ordering in your restaurant is a self-service kiosk like KioskBuddy.
KioskBuddy is a cloud-based self-ordering app that lets you optimize your ordering process for both dine-in and takeout orders. You can download the app to your iPad or tablet, and customers can then place and pay for their orders in just a few taps.
Look for a self-service kiosk that has POS integration, meaning it will work in conjunction with your POS software to create an easy order-processing system.
KioskBuddy is a fantastic add-on to your Square POS, and it also syncs with kitchen display systems (KDSs) to further automate front-of-house and back-of-house communication. With a KDS, the kitchen will get instant notifications when an order comes through, meaning they can start prepping immediately and get the food out quickly.
Plus, KioskBuddy’s affordable pricing structure lets you keep your expenses down while processing more orders in less time.
Research suggests that online food ordering makes up around 40% of total restaurant sales in the United States. So, if you don’t have online ordering software as part of your restaurant order system, you could be missing out on additional orders for takeout.
You can use a restaurant online ordering system that integrates with your website — this lets customers view an online menu and place their order from the comfort of their own homes or while on the go. Companies like GloriaFood, Hungrrr, and OpenTable are examples of online ordering software (although OpenTable is best known as a table reservation app).
Some software have interfaces that can be fully integrated into your restaurant’s website, while other brands provide a link to their own site for processing customer orders.
Integrating a digital ordering system on your website could be a fantastic way to increase your delivery or takeout orders. You can share links to your online ordering platform via your social media pages, or you could add a QR code to marketing materials or flyers to make it easy for people to find your site.
There are several food delivery apps and software companies that restaurants can use to outsource their digital ordering. Mobile ordering apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, and ChowNow provide effective solutions for small businesses that want to set up online orders without having to do all the work themselves.
These mobile apps can be used for delivery orders and in-store or curbside pickup, meaning customers can choose whether they want their food brought to them or to collect it themselves.
There are numerous benefits to third-party apps for restaurants, including:
An increased online presence that could bring in new customers
A better customer experience, as mobile ordering is user-friendly and easy to navigate
The ability for restaurant staff to focus on filling orders instead of taking them
What’s more, most of these third-party delivery services also offer real-time updates, so customer orders come through to your back-of-house team immediately.
The pricing of each provider varies. Some offer commission-free orders for a trial period, but most require an upfront fee and take a percentage commission from each order.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution for restaurant ordering systems, as the best option can vary from restaurant to restaurant. Counter-service restaurants will have different needs than full-service or fine-dining restaurants. Consider the type of business you have, what functionality you want, and how much you can afford to spend before making your choice.
If you’re struggling to choose just one system, the good news is that it’s possible to combine different ordering options. Managers of busy restaurants may find the best solution is to operate with both a staff-based restaurant order system and a self-service solution. A combination approach like this lets you maximize the number of orders you can process at any one time, reducing customer wait times and helping you keep things running smoothly.
Alternatively, you could use third-party apps for delivery and self-service kiosks for your in-house orders.
Choosing the best restaurant order system for your business means you can process orders quickly and easily. An effective system means you can also simplify other aspects of your business operations — thanks to integrated marketing, sales tracking, and inventory management tools.
If you want to install self-service devices as part of your ordering system, KioskBuddy is a perfect choice. It lets you turn a tablet into an easy-to-use self-service kiosk. Thanks to POS integration, it synchronizes with Square to provide a complete restaurant ordering system that lets customers checkout in a few simple steps.
Sign up for KioskBuddy today, and try it free of charge for 30 days.