Restaurant online ordering system: Powerful software for fast-growing restaurant

The rapidly grow of restaurant online ordering system has changed the rules in the food market. It offers flexibility and time-saving to users for online browsing providers. threaten the traditional restaurant system. Applying technology refers to the only way for them fighting to survive.

Online food ordering software has changed the rules of the game in the Food market. It offers flexibility and time-saving to users, who can easily browse for several providers instead of authentically come to the restaurant. As a result, global food online ordering market is projected to achieve roundly US$ 162 million in 2023.

Geographically, Europe and America will lead the innovation of the whole market, which enjoy the growing rate of 12% annually. In term of food ordering apps, the active users of these apps reported to approximately 44 million in the US only. The number of users is expectedly steadily risen further.

Then, how restaurant perform in the era of the Internet of Thing (IoT)? Apart from the fierce competition in the Food and beverage industry, restaurants’ owners are struggling with offering more convenience to their customers. Especially in pick hours, they might face with confusing orders which increase the standby time for customers.

Currently, big restaurant chains have created their customs mobile app development of self-service ordering for both online and in-store. Fast food giants, including KFC and MacDonald, launched their ordering app globally, which users can get home delivery with their orders within 0.5 to 1 hour. Alternatively, those who choose eat-in services, restaurants set up kiosk ordering software to reduce the pressure to their staffs.

Undeniable, big brands need food ordering system to pursue their enormous order volumes and customers. The question is how about other restaurants? Do they need their own online ordering system? This article will answer you.

What is Food Ordering System?

Food ordering system refers to the application assisting restaurants and customers in making, managing and controlling online food order. In Food and beverage software development context, it can be a mobile application or web-based application, or both. In other words, the online ordering system can be defined as the software allowing customers to order foods without direct contact with restaurant staffs.

Reports approved that roundly 60% of the Americans order food delivery services at least once a week, while 30% try this service twice or more. On the other hand, 70% of customers responses that they prefer to order directly in the restaurant system rather than third-party, which is believed to be more secured and reliable.

Custom restaurant online ordering system

Currently, there are three major types of online food ordering software solutions, which are custom restaurant ordering system, third-party online ordering systems, and marketplace delivery apps. Each type shows both its pros and cons when performing in the market.

1. Custom restaurant online ordering system

The unique software developed to the specific restaurant to execute in managing online orders.

Advantages of using custom food ordering software for restaurants

– Synchronizing with other managing software: An efficient restaurant ordering system software works seamlessly with others, allowing sync data across platform and devices. This software also processes the payment, which assists cashier in managing enormous financial activities.

– Customer loyalty and Insight: Along with storing customers data, custom ordering software might provide extra features of recording customers transaction, which you can analyze and predict purchasing pattern. Alternatively, restaurants can easily send notifications for users when running marketing campaigns.

– Providing customer convenience and flexibility: from the user’ perspective, online ordering software allows them instantly placing orders and making payments with the limitation of extra steps. Additionally, they might not waste time in waiting staffs approving their orders.

Disadvantages of the custom food ordering app

– Struggling with finding software development partners: obviously, restaurants owners might not spend money on building an in-house software development team since they rarely got IT tasks to perform. In developing food ordering apps, a proper way is hiring a dedicated software development team.

However, it might take time while IT outsourcing market grows constantly. In Vietnam, software outsourcing companies have done several online food ordering software for Western countries with high satisfaction from clients. We comprehensively understand the difficulties in searching for IT partners. We suggest using clutch.co or Good firms for browsing IT companies.

– Requiring an initial investment of time and budget: pursuing custom software development plan, restaurants need to prepare adequate money. In general, the contract prices depending on the scale of development tasks, which takes at least a month to finish. After deploying, food ordering software should connect the whole restaurant system for wholly controlling

2. Third-party online ordering systems

Third-party ordering apps work as the platform allowing users to browse multi-restaurants at the same time, while they can compare prices, menu, and even quality by reaching reviews.

The most significant advantage of third-party relates to a large community of active users, which restaurants can approach via these platforms. Restaurants’ owners might not be worried about IT problem causes app development team can handle it.

On the other hand, restaurants need to pay monthly fee or commission for third-party to appear in the platform. In the long term, this expense might exceed the investment of developing a custom app.

3. Marketplace delivery apps

Delivery companies commonly own the on-demand apps and platform where connecting driver and customers. Currently, several delivery companies start food ordering services takes advantage of available payment method and customer management system. Restaurants might collaborate with those services to introduce with apps’ users

You might publish your restaurant location and menu in several delivery apps to spreading your brands to customers. In America, popular food delivery apps like Uberfood set a partnership with thousands of restaurants across America.

However, while appearing in several apps, restaurants will be struggling with managing stocks as well as suffering from the high possibility of confusing orders. On the other hand, using marketplace delivery apps, users might leave their loyalty to the delivery app instead of restaurants that the restaurants need to rely on the apps.

Should restaurants obtain online food ordering solutions?

Here are the top three sectors that regularly need an online food ordering system.

• Restaurant offering food delivery
• Delivery services
• Services via online food ordering portals

Building restaurant online ordering system software

After careful research and considers regarding whether your restaurants need an ordering food ordering system if the answer is yes, it is time to starting the plan development. You should choose a partner to collaboration, commonly is a mobile app development company in case you do not want to spend time and resources in building an in-house developer team. We gather here with must-have features for an online ordering system software.

Basic feature every app must have

• Menu Search: users can handily browse for available options, including foods, drinks, sets, locations, and cuisines.
• Order placement: users can put their selected options into the shopping cart or directly place an order.
• Delivery option: For online ordering, the delivery feature plays an important role, where food services refer to a particular sector where users cannot wait in some hours to have their meal. Fast is the key. With kiosk food ordering, customer should tell the restaurant whether they want to eat in or take away.
• Payment navigator: non-cash payment is a driving force here. The apps should provide several payment options that users might pick one of them.

Checklist key features for restaurant system

• Management dashboard: where restaurants can manage their sale, electronic menu, and order. In which, they can add, remove or update management status on a real-time basis.
• Analytics and report: this feature provides data to get customer inside and prediction of demand.
• Push notification: Again, it is the way to connect the restaurant to your customers.
• Customer relationship management (CRM): it is a primary feature of each custom software solution, showing the user behaviour, purchasing pattern, engagement report, etc…
• Stock Management: Ordering system will provide restaurants information about raw materials, producing capacity, and stock availability, which prevent the case of excess or lack of resources.

Check list key feature of on-demand food ordering apps

• Restaurant profile: Users can check further information about where they will buy the food regarding whether they have any scandals in terms of food quality or service attitude.
• Driver’s contact and profile: in case of urgent change, users can contact the driver to get support in-time.
• Notification: keep in touch with users might benefit both the app owners and restaurant, which allow them toattract customers to events, vouchers, or remind them to place an order.
• Map integration: It supports drivers locating the shipping address. Furthermore, users can also check the location of orders.

Final words, restaurants in recent worlds do need a food ordering system to grow in such a competitive industry. Depending on the objectives and goals of businesses, restaurants will consider what kind of ordering system to be applied. The most effective way that saves time in achieving the appropriate restaurant ordering system is hiring support from a professional software development company.