Restaurant ordering systems: choose the right channels

A direct ordering page and a delivery marketplace do not always do the same job. One may take an order from a regular collecting food. The other may help a new guest find the restaurant and arrange a courier. To compare them, first decide which service you need.

This guide is written by Vendion, which offers online ordering connected to the POS.

Distinguish three order flows

Ordering at the table: guests order on site and food is served in the restaurant. Table identification, kitchen flow and staff assistance are central.

Ordering ahead for collection: guests choose remotely and collect at an agreed time. The restaurant needs clear confirmation, capacity planning and handover.

Ordering for delivery: someone must additionally manage transport, delivery areas, charges and communication about delays. An ordering system alone does not include couriers.

Compare equivalent cost scopes

Read each channel agreement and identify your costs: subscription, commission, payment, campaigns, delivery and any extras. Check whether percentage charges are calculated on amounts including or excluding VAT.

Include packaging, labour and the cost of attracting guests to the order page. Direct digital ordering does not make marketing or card payments free. Marketplace campaigns may have separate costs too; Wolt’s Swedish campaign terms illustrate why the campaign agreement needs reading.

Use this structure per order:

Sales excluding VAT − ingredients − packaging − payment and channel fees − relevant delivery and campaign costs.

The remainder contributes to staffing and fixed costs, among other expenses. Include additional labour when a channel requires it. Then compare monthly outcomes, including fixed system fees. A cheaper ordering channel helps only if it attracts enough relevant orders.

Make kitchen capacity part of the decision

Test how new orders arrive and who monitors them. Check modifiers, allergen information, amendments, payment status and refunds. Decide how to stop further orders when the kitchen is full and communicate changed collection times.

Review the menu too. Everything that works on a plate does not travel equally well. Choose dishes and packaging with the kitchen and test the food after the waiting time a guest may experience.

Build direct relationships under the right terms

Link your order page from the restaurant website and your own channels. Follow platform agreements when promoting your business alongside marketplace orders.

It is misleading to say restaurants never receive order data from platforms. Wolt, for example, describes sharing information needed to fulfil an order. Permitted use depends on purpose, rules and agreements.

Direct orders also create responsibilities for personal information. Contact details used to hand over food do not automatically become a marketing list. In Sweden, advertising by email and SMS to individuals normally requires prior consent, with a limited existing-customer exception under the Marketing Act.

What Vendion provides

Vendion Online Order provides a direct digital ordering route for uses including tables and collection, connected to the POS and kitchen workflow. It is an additional module; see current scope and pricing. Payment fees and other agreed costs belong in your calculation.

Start with a clear scope, such as collection during selected hours. Track completed orders, cost, waiting times and errors. Expand when both guests and the kitchen have a workable flow.