No matter the changes we undergo in life, one thing always remains constant: we have to eat. Everyone loves good food, and in most cases, we are super tired, tied up, or lack the expertise to make the food we love the most. If that is the case, we often look for restaurants online that offer such meals. But what happens if you do not have the time to visit the restaurant itself? This is where the importance of an online ordering system comes in.
The wake of the Coronavirus pandemic saw many governments instilling restrictions, which included physical distancing. For that case, many public spaces were closed, meaning that hotels could no longer accommodate the number of people it used to before.
However, those with an online presence were still able to continue being in business. A study found out that 34% of consumers spend at least $50 when ordering food online. This is pretty profitable to a restaurant, should it enable online food ordering for their clients.
Today, having a delivery system is the most convenient way to keep your restaurant serving hungry customers. For someone looking to maintain or increase business income, this post will help steer you in the right direction on what you should do.
To help you get started, you ought to know that there are at least three ways to set up a restaurant online ordering system:
- Using your own website. Website builders or platforms such as WordPress can enable you to process orders.
- Using a third-party online ordering app, e.g., Uber Eats.
- Using a third-party online ordering app combined with a POS system, e.g., CAKE.
With all the available possibilities, nothing matches the fact that you need your own system. But how is it worth your time and resources, yet you can get the same from services such as Uber Eats?
We understand that this is a difficult decision, but we have put together some four reasons that can get you started on building your own online ordering system.
- You’ll save money
Third-party ordering services such as Uber Eats save you some time (in theory). However, they charge some percentage on each sale made (at times, they charge up to 30% on each order made). Other platforms will charge you a subscription cost. Setting up your own system will require some upfront costs, but most of them are one-off or with a yearly subscription that is much cheaper than the other models.
- You have all the freedom.
It becomes easy to build your personal ordering system and make changes to it whenever you see fit. Third-party ordering services will always limit you on how you display your items, among other things.
- The ability to grow and scale
There are thousands of plugins available for WordPress and WooCommerce that you can use to grow and scale your business if the online ordering system is hosted on your website. You can add more payment methods, improved product pages, etc.
These few reasons are enough to convince you to get your own online ordering system for your restaurant. Try it out today and get to keep your customers in-house and loyal.