Online ordering systems allow restaurants to receive orders from their website or a third-party ordering site. You can use an online ordering system for delivery or pick-up orders. The best online ordering system for your restaurant is the one that allows you to remain profitable. Some online ordering tools charge a monthly subscription fee, while others retain a commission on all orders placed through their system. Monthly fees for these tools range from $9 to $199. Commission-based fees start at 3% and can go up to 35%.
Based on our evaluations, the best online ordering systems for small restaurants are:
- Tock To Go: Best overall online ordering software for restaurants
- Restolabs: Best online ordering software for restaurant POS integration
- Square Online: Best free online ordering software for restaurants
- GloriaFood: Best online ordering software for bringing your own payment processor
- Toast Now: Best online ordering software for delivery options
- The Ordering.app: Best online ordering software for restaurants that want Google integration
Looking for a POS with built-in online ordering? Check out our ranking of the best POS systems for food delivery.
In the News: Online Ordering’s Growing Popularity
- Revenue from online food delivery is projected to reach over $28.5 million in the United States in 2021.
- With an expected annual growth rate of 4.3%, online food delivery revenue will reach $32.3 million by 2024.
- Direct restaurant-to-consumer deliveries make up a majority of revenue in the online ordering space. However, revenue from platform-to-consumer deliveries are growing at a faster rate.
Source: Statista
How We Evaluated Online Ordering Systems for Restaurants
The number of tools for restaurant online ordering has changed enormously in the past year. We sifted through several different types of restaurant software tools and compared new-comers to familiar names to find the best online ordering software for restaurants in 2021. We compared price, ease of use, overall features, and each system’s customizability and flexibility, looking for a tool that fits the widest variety of restaurant types. We also considered POS integration and delivery options for restaurants that want the software to fit into their pre-existing software ecosystem.
Tock To Go emerged as the best overall online ordering software for restaurants based on the above criteria. According to our grading system for online ordering software, Tock To Go received the highest overall score (4.46 out of 5). Based on our personal experience testing software and working in and with small restaurants that use online ordering tools every day, Tock To Go is also one of the top software that we personally recommend.
Click through the tabs below for our full evaluation criteria:
25% of Overall Score
Before adding online ordering tools, most restaurants have already sunk a lot of money into essential restaurant software like POS systems. So, this system must be affordable. We looked for options that offer free trials, monthly subscription fees below $75 per month, competitive payment processing, and no long-term contracts.
15% of Overall Score
An online ordering system’s primary function is to receive online orders and simply communicate them to the restaurant. We also looked for systems that supported custom, branded websites and aggregating sites that help restaurants find new customers.
30% of Overall Score
We looked at additional features that expand the online ordering software’s utility. First, we looked for delivery integrations that support in-house driver management or allow you to hail on-demand third-party drivers. We also looked for systems that support in-house order pickup, curbside pick up, and in-person payment. We awarded high scores to systems that allow restaurants to retain customer data and support marketing campaigns.
15% of Overall Score
Any add-on restaurant software must be easy to use. We looked for tools that integrate with popular restaurant POS systems or offer an open API to build your own connection. We also looked for systems that allow you to throttle off incoming orders when your kitchen is busy. Systems with 24-hour customer support and guided installation earned high marks.
15% of Overall Score
Finally, we considered any stand-out features of each individual system and whether or not the software offers a good overall value for its price. We also judged each system’s popularity within the restaurant industry. We also awarded points based on my personal experience interacting with the software and its customer support.
Tock To Go
PROS
- Can direct service fees to customer checks
- Popular platform with leading independent restaurants
- Fee-based model lets you pay-as-you-go
CONS
- Currently only integrates with Toast and Upserve by Lightspeed POS
- Customization and branding features are limited
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 3.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Niche Online Ordering Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Ease of Use | 4.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 |
When COVID-19 first shut down restaurant dining rooms in 2020, Tock To Go’s development became a bright spot in restaurant news. The Tock team developed this online ordering tool in six days and designed it specifically to help independent restaurants stay solvent through the pandemic. It is flexible, nimble, affordable, and packed with great features.
Tock To Go earned an overall score of 4.46 on our online ordering rating system. It outscored the competition for niche online ordering features, earned high marks for ease of use, and is well-regarded by our experts. The only way this system could have scored higher is if it integrated directly with more restaurant POS systems; currently, it only integrates with Toast and Upserve by Lightspeed.
In the News How a Restaurant Entrepreneur Helped Fine Dining Restaurants Transition to Takeout During the COVID-19 Crisis
Tock To Go Pricing
You don’t need any proprietary hardware to use Tock To Go. The system is browser-based and can operate on most iOS or Android tablets or computers. The Tock team recommends using an iPad 11 or later, though. Tock To Go also integrates with most industry-standard Epson and Star Micronics printers to automatically print paper order tickets. Costs vary based entirely on where you purchase these items.
- Software subscription fee: Tock To Go charges a 3% commission on all orders. This is the only cost to use the platform. Restaurants can add these fees to customer checks and essentially use the platform for free.
- Processing fees: Tock To Go features built-in payment processing. Rates are custom-quoted based on your sales volume and card mix. The system also integrates with Stripe.
Tock To Go restaurants are featured on a central Tock website. (Image from Tock)
Tock To Go Standout Features
Tock To Go supports online orders for both pickup and delivery. Your customers can pay online with credit and debit cards, mobile wallets, or gift cards. Tock To Go includes insightful marketing tools, as well as SMS text messaging for your in-house staff and delivery drivers. Speaking of delivery drivers, Tock To Go allows you to manage an in-house driver team or rely on third-party drivers from DoorDash and Postmates.
Tock To Go’s standout features include:
- Controlled order flow: Tock To Go’s online orders are organized by time slot; similar to a table reservation. This feature allows you to decide how many orders you accept in a given time frame and bump additional orders to more convenient times. You can choose to allow a la carte ordering, or only sell pre-fixed meals or even meal kits.
- On-demand third-party drivers: Tock To Go includes basic driver dispatch functions if you manage an in-house team. But if you prefer to outsource your delivery operations, Tock To Go integrates directly with both DoorDash and Postmates to hail on-demand third-party drivers. Tock To Go customers pay a flat fee for these drivers, and the fees are tacked onto your customer checks. So, you get the convenience of third-party delivery without the high commission rates.
- Marketing tools: Tock To Go is built on top of Tock’s robust reservation system. Tock To Go uses the same customer tracking tools to create detailed customer profiles and then filter those profiles to create targeted marketing campaigns. You can designate customer groups like VIPs, regulars, and employees to automatically apply group discounts as well.
- 2-way SMS-texting: In-app SMS text messaging allows your team to communicate directly with customers. You can send preset text messages for order status updates, or custom messages to confirm order details or alert customers to changes. If you expand into delivery, your drivers can also text with your customers.
- Aggregating Site: You can share your Tock To Go order link with customers on your restaurant’s social media channels and restaurant website. Tock To Go also includes all Tock To Go restaurants on its searchable website. Customers in your city can search the Tock To Go website for pickup and delivery options at their preferred mealtime and discover your restaurant. Tock To Go restaurants include the most celebrated independent restaurants in the country, so you’ll be in good company.
Restolabs
PROS
- Open API enables POS integration
- Supports multiple payment processors
- Menu setup included
CONS
- Does not have an aggregating site to draw new customers
- Delivery management tools are only available at higher membership tiers
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Niche Online Ordering Features | 3.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Ease of Use | 4.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 |
Restolabs is an affordable, robust online ordering system for restaurants. Unlike Tock To Go and the Square Online, Restolabs has built-in integrations with 15 restaurant POS brands and also supports an open application programming interface (API) to build more if needed. This flexibility makes Restolabs a terrific choice for independent restaurants that want their online ordering site to feed orders directly into their POS. Restolabs also works with 30 different payment processors, so it’s likely to work with your pre-existing merchant service provider.
Restolabs earned an overall score of 4.13 out of 5 on our restaurant online ordering system ranking criteria. It earned high marks for affordability and general online ordering features. Our experts also rated it a great value for the money. The system would have scored higher if delivery features were included in the baseline subscription and if it supported a platform site to help introduce restaurants to new customers.
Restolabs Pricing
- Software subscription fee: Unlike Tock To Go and Square Online, Restolabs charges a monthly subscription fee. Restolabs offers three subscription tiers: Basic, Premium, and Enterprise. Basic subscriptions start at $45 per month and include basic online ordering functions along with coupon and rewards tools. Premium users gain access to delivery management and Facebook ordering for $85 per month.
- Hardware costs: Restolabs integrates with most restaurant POS systems, and you can access the management dashboard via any internet browser. Most Restolabs users won’t need any additional hardware. If you choose not to integrate with your POS, you will need an internet-enabled tablet to run your Restolabs dashboard and receive orders.
- Installation fees: Restolabs creates your online ordering site based on your existing menu. There is no fee for paid subscribers.
- Processing fees: Restolabs works with virtually every major payment gateway, including Authorize.Net, Heartland, Worldpay, Stripe, Elavon, and USAePay. Your processing rates will vary depending on which processor you use.
Restolab’s online ordering templates are easy to customize.
(Image from Restolabs)
Restolabs Standout Features
Restolabs strikes an excellent balance between templatization and customization. The Restolabs team will create your basic online menu, and from there you can customize and update in its easy-to-navigate site editor. Restolabs’s online ordering sites are template-based but provide lots of room for customizing with your restaurant logo and colors. The menu templates are robust enough to support highly-modified menu items like build your own pizzas and family-style combo deals.
Restolabs’s standout features include:
- Free Trial: Unlike a lot of tools on this list, Restolabs offers a 14-day free trial.
- Massive modifiers: Restolabs online menus allow customers to add and delete ingredients easily with checkboxes. You can add prices to modifiers to ensure every customized order is charged correctly.
- Delivery options: Premium Restolabs subscribers gain the ability to manage their drivers from their Restolabs dashboard.
- Customizable Combos and discounts: You can create individual combo screens or offer a flat discount when customers group certain items together. You can also add coupons specifically for online orders or customize coupons to match dine-in offers. To reward VIPS or offer an employee discount, you can set certain coupon codes to only apply to specific users.
- Payment flexibility: Restolabs users can easily configure their online menu to accept online payments, cash payments, mobile wallet payments, or request a card upon delivery. It is as simple as ticking a few boxes in the Restolabs dashboard.
- QR code ordering: You can generate a QR code that directly links to your online ordering site from the Restolabs dashboard. Applying this code to signs throughout your restaurant allows customers to order and pay for their meals directly from their smartphones; a cost-effective, contactless solution.
Square Online
PROS
- Free ecommerce site
- Locked into Square for payment processing
CONS
- Only integrates with Square POS systems
- Ordering site may not be robust enough for highly modified menus
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 3.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Niche Online Ordering Features | 3.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Ease of Use | 3.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.69 | OUT OF | 5 |
Square Online is a free ecommerce website that runs on the Square Payments platform. Any small business can create a free Square Online store by signing up for a Square account and attaching a bank account. Square doesn’t charge any additional fees for online orders; all you pay are the processing fees for processing online payments. This low barrier to entry makes Square Online an excellent fit for small restaurants—especially those with a focused menu, like coffee shops, slice shops, and taquerias.
In our ranking system, Square Online earned an overall score 3.79 out of 5—pretty good for a solution that doesn’t specialize in restaurants. This tool outscored the competition on price and our experts also rated it highly. The system lost some ground on support functions. Setting up your site is a DIY affair, and it only integrates with Square POS systems. The Square for Restaurants POS’s baseline subscription is also free, though, so this limitation may not be a deal-breaker for small restaurants.
Square Online Pricing
There are no on-going fees for using Square Online. It is completely free. Set up is completely do-it-yourself via Square’s easy-to-use site builder, so there is no installation fee.
- Hardware costs: You can access Square Online’s back office and dashboard from any internet-connected device. Though if you opt to expand into a Square POS or Square for Restaurants POS, you can purchase a wide variety of tablet stands, printers, and other hardware directly from Square.
- Processing fees*: All purchases made through the Square are subject to Square Payments’ processing fees. Currently fees are 2.9% + 30¢. Though sites that process more than $250,000 annually may request a custom-quote from the Square sales team.
*Square’s processing fees can change at any time, at Square’s sole discretion.
The Square Online Store site builder is easy to navigate. (Image from Square)
Square Online Standout Features
Square has supported small businesses of all types for years now, enabling even the smallest businesses to process payments and expand their revenue streams. Square Online—with or without the Square for Restaurants POS—is tailor-made for small restaurants that want to get into online ordering without any headaches. The site builder is so easy to use that you can start receiving orders in a few hours.
Square Online’s standout features include:
- Free to use: We’ve mentioned this already, but it bears repeating. Square Online is free to use. You can expand its restaurant functionality for free by adding the free version of the Square for Restaurants POS as well. Online orders feed directly in the Square for Restaurants POS and kitchen printers.
- No long-term contracts: There are no annual or monthly fees associated with Square Online, restaurants only pay for purchases. Even seasonal restaurants and micro-operations like sugar shacks and beachside concession stands can easily expand into online ordering and pay as they go.
- Integrates with Square business tools: The Square platform hosts a wealth of intuitive software tools to handle everything from customer loyalty programs to gift cards, marketing solutions, payroll, and invoice management. Square expands its built-in functions with more than 100 integrated third-party apps, covering everything from employee scheduling to accounting and tax compliance.
- Delivery options: You can add a delivery option to your Square Online ordering site and manage a team of drivers manually. Or you can expand into the Square for Restaurants POS, which integrates directly with third-party delivery apps. Postmates and DoorDash integrations allow you to hail third-party drivers for on-demand, flat-rate delivery. Alternatively, you can dispatch your own drivers for $0.50 per order.
GloriaFood
PROS
- You can use your own payment processor
- Free to use
- No contract required
CONS
- Accepting online payments requires a monthly subscription fee
- Doesn’t accept gift cards
- Customized branding is an add-on
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 4.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 3.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Niche Online Ordering Features | 3.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Ease of Use | 3.25 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.69 | OUT OF | 5 |
GloriaFood is an easy platform to love. The brand’s entire mission is to provide low-cost tools to small, independent restaurants that larger tech firms leave behind. Its online ordering system and reservation system are both free to use and don’t require long-term contracts. Small restaurants don’t even need a credit card to create a GloriaFood account.
GloriaFood earned a rating of 3.74 on our online ordering rubric. Not bad for a free restaurant tool. The system is very easy to set up and use, and it offers a lot of integrations. Those integrations, though, can be a sticking point. Some features—like 2-way text messaging and online payment processing—are only available via integrations.
GloriaFood Pricing
GloriaFood is free if you stick with its base package, which comes with standard online ordering features, like menu customization and real-time order confirmation. The platform also offers add-on tools, such as an optimized restaurant website, payment processing, and a branded mobile app.
- Online and credit card payment processing: $29 per month
- Advanced target marketing: $19 per month
- Sales Optimized restaurant website: $9 per month
- Branded mobile app: $59 per month
GloriaFood runs on any web-enabled device, so your hardware costs will depend on your preferred device. GloriaFood enables online payments via your own payment processor, so rates will depend on the processor you choose.
GloriaFood’s online ordering menu is optimized for direct Facebook ordering. (Image from GloriaFood)
GloriaFood Standout Features
With GloriaFood, restaurants can set up online ordering on their own website, mobile app, or Facebook. The platform allows you to confirm orders in real time from any connected device. Single-page checkout streamlines the ordering experience and reduces friction to encourage more orders.
GloriaFood’s standout features include:
- Foodbooking platform: GloriaFood hosts an aggregating website and mobile app called FoodBooking. This platform supports a geographically searchable index of GloriaFood restaurants so customers can discover new restaurants.
- Coupons and promotions: You can set up your GloriaFood site to offer deals to first customers. In the GloriaFood dashboard, you can filter your customers into targeted lists to offer customized coupons for future orders.
- Facebook optimized: GloriaFood users can add a fully operational online ordering menu to your restaurant’s Facebook page.
- Easy integration: The platform has an open API, so restaurants can build their own custom integrations to suit unique needs. Beyond that, the program has built-in integrations with several delivery management platforms like Tookan and QuestTag, that enable restaurants to manage their own fleet of drivers. Simple integration with middleware app ItsaCheckmate allows restaurants to connect GloriaFoods to virtually any POS system.
Toast Now
PROS
- Robust driver dispatch tools
- On-demand third-party delivery drivers
- Toast TakeOut app introduces your restaurant to new customers
CONS
- Locked into Toast payments
- 2-year minimum contract
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 1.50 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 4.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Niche Online Ordering Features | 5.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Ease of Use | 3.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.38 | OUT OF | 5 |
Toast Now is a freestanding online ordering solution for all restaurants, whether or not they use the Toast POS system. Like many of the tools on this list, Toast Now is browser-based, so you can use it on your preferred internet-enabled device. The system includes a templatized, brandable online ordering website, inclusion on the Toast TakeOut app, and basic delivery management functions. Toast Now is an excellent choice for restaurants that want a cost-effective online ordering system with driver management.
Toast Now earned a rating of 3.66 out of 5 on our online ordering scoring system. It earned high marks for its general features, and niche online ordering functions like SMS text notifications. However, it lost some points for affordability; Toast Now is a little pricier than others on this list, and it requires a 2-year contract. You get a lot of functions for the price, though.
Toast Now Pricing
Toast Now operates on internet-enabled devices, so you can run it on hardware you already own. To avoid overloading hardware, it is a good idea to set aside a tablet specifically to run the Toast Now dashboard. Toast Now frequently runs free trial promotions; currently, it offers three months free. Trial subscribers can cancel with no penalties after three months if they don’t like the service.
- Software subscription fee: Toast Now is available at three subscription levels: Toast Now, Toast Now Plus, and Toast Now Premium. Pricing starts at $75 per month for Toast Now. Toast Now Plus adds e-gift card functions for $100 per month, and you can access email marketing tools with Toast Now Premium, at $175 per month.
- Processing fees*: Toast Now comes with Toast Payment built-in. Currently, Toast lists its standard processing rate for card-not-present as 3.5% + $0.15. This is higher than others on this list and can change anytime at Toast’s sole discretion.
*Toast Payments rates are set by Toast and can change any time, at Toast’s sole discretion.
Toast Now prints a check-in ticket when customers arrive to pick up curbside orders. (Image from Toast)
Toast Now Standout Features
Toast Now is incredibly easy to use. The Toast team built it on the intuitive Toast POS back-office framework, so it’s very simple to find the correct screens to manage your menu, customize automated text and email messages, and throttle online ordering on or off. You can set your online orders to print directly to your kitchen, or require a manager to approve every order beforehand. Your automated messages to customers can include nitty-gritty details like where to park when picking up curbside orders.
Toast Now’s standout features include:
- Streamlined set up: You complete a menu spreadsheet, then the Toast team takes it from there to build your online ordering site. Toast Now’s online ordering menus are highly detailed and can handle any kind of modification your customers can imagine.
- Toast TakeOut App: Toast Now subscribers are featured in the streamlined customer-facing Toast TakeOut app. This searchable app allows customers to find your restaurant based on their location, cuisine, or mealtime preferences.
- Fraud protection: Toast Now’s payment processing fees are a bit higher than others on this list. But they include fraud protection, which can be a lifesaver when so many of your transactions are online. Toast Payments includes real-time enhanced fraud protection for all ecommerce transactions and has a dedicated Fraud Team to support you with any issues.
- Arrival Notification Texts: Toast Now’s Arrival Notification text allows you to text a link to your customers when they place curbside pickup orders. Customers click the link when they arrive, and a check prints in your restaurant, containing their name and order information. So, your team never has to guess which order to bring out.
- Delivery options: Toast Now’s built-in basic delivery functions operate a lot like Tock To Go’s. Restaurants can assign orders to in-house drivers and use Google Maps to set custom delivery areas and fees. Toast Now allows you to track your drivers with the same detail as you would a waiter in your dining room, logging sales and tip information for easy payroll reporting. For an additional monthly fee, Toast Now users can route delivery orders to third-party drivers from DoorDash.
In the News: L.A. Restaurants Struggle With a New Form of Dine-and-Dash.
The Ordering.app
PROS
- Fully integrated with Google platform
- Fee-based, so you can pay-as-you-go
- Group order feature virtually guarantees large orders from nearby offices
CONS
- Only works on Android devices
- Only directly integrates with Clover POS
- Locked into Stripe for payment processing
| RATING CRITERIA | Pricing | 4.00 | OUT OF | 5 |
| General Features | 3.00 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Niche Online Ordering Features | 2.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Ease of Use | 3.50 | OUT OF | 5 | |
| Expert Score | 4.38 | OUT OF | 5 |
The Ordering.app has a huge ace up its sleeve; it is Google’s online ordering solution for restaurants. This system basically cancels the practice of third-party platforms parking an online ordering URL on your Google listing and siphoning off your orders. This is a great choice for small independent restaurants that want to increase their online presence.
The Ordering.app scored a 3.38 on our ranking of online ordering software for restaurants. The system earned high marks for its fee-based pricing structure and the fact that it does not require a long term contract. The Ordering.app isn’t yet popular enough to gauge how users like the system or how good the customer support is. The system also lacks some general features like the ability to process gift card payments. The in-house delivery management tools also have room for improvement.
The Ordering.app Pricing
The Ordering.app does not charge a monthly subscription fee. Like Tock To Go, this system charges a commission on each order. The Ordering.app is currently waiving all commission fees until January 2022.
- Per order fee: Currently, The Ordering.app lists its per order commission fee at 1.5%. This may change at any time, however, at the sole discretion of the app.
- Processing fees*: Stripe is currently the only supported payment processor. Its fees for online payments is 2.9% + .30 cents per transaction. This is a pretty competitive rate for online, card-not-present transactions.
*Processing fees can change at any time, at Stripe’s sole discretion.
The Ordering.app Standout Features
The Ordering.app is new to the restaurant scene, but it already has some fascinating features, like a group ordering function that allows a large group of customers to build an order via a shareable link. It also supports basic functions—like generating customer profiles and order histories and allowing you to limit your online orders to pick up, curbside, or delivery orders.
The Ordering.app’s standout features include:
- Group order function: This feature is customer-facing, but it could mean big business for restaurants that use The Ordering.app. The group order function allows large groups of people—like co-workers and families—to share an order link so that everyone can add exactly what they want and identify their items with their name. It will be a no-brainer for office and team lunches in 2021.
- Social Media friendly: You can add an “Order Now” button to social media posts and profiles to drive customers directly to your ordering site.
- Customizable websites: The Ordering.app customer service team walks you through your initial site setup. You can easily customize your Ordering.app website with your brand colors and logos. The platform features various styles of menu layout to support any type of menu and multiple modifier styles.
- Google integration: Google integration means much more than enabling customers to place orders from search results. It means that customers can log in to your ordering site with their Google credentials and that all the templated widgets on your ordering website are web- and mobile-optimized right out of the box.
Bottom Line
Online ordering is fast becoming a vital revenue source for small restaurants. Luckily there are software tools at every price point. Overall, we found Tock To Go was the best online ordering software for restaurants. It earned the highest score across our grading system for its comprehensive online ordering features, ease of use, and competitive price. This pay-as-you-go, fee-based system is cost-effective, even for very small restaurants.
Beyond Tock to Go’s excellent functionality, the Tock brand has consistently been a friend to small restaurants, developing insightful, affordable solutions for every pain point. To see if this system is a fit for you, visit Tock To Go for a demo.
