The best restaurant online ordering systems to use in 2026!
Here’s a review of some of the online food ordering systems that I use with my clients. Hopefully, it’ll help you figure out what would be a good fit for your foodservice business.
1.) I’ll start with “Square” because it seems like the most straightforward and easy to use.
It’s also quite easy to connect to an already existing website, which is the way I prefer to use it with my clients.
Many people already use Square for POS (point of sale transactions), so it’s just a matter of enabling the restaurant online ordering part of it!
A little background about the business….. they go out of their way to help small businesses when times are tough.
Some prominent software companies are thinking about how they can make more money to bring in more profits for themself during the pandemic.
Square, on the other hand, is thinking about how to benefit small businesses during uncertain times, which is a pretty rare business philosophy these days!
Let’s talk about pricing.
There’s a free plan for restaurants and a paid plan. It’s free to set up an ordering page, and you only pay when there’s a sale.
There are a bunch of different options to choose from, such as pick-up and delivery, in-person dining/pickup, curbside pickup, delivery by your employees, or by a delivery service.
Square integrates an on-demand delivery service with Postmates for a flat rate of $1.50 for each order placed.
You’ll save money because there’s usually a more significant commission rate for using third-party delivery services, so by using Squares on-demand delivery service, you’ll save money right out the gate because you can bypass using third-party delivery services.
The in-house delivery system is another option. It allows you to set up how long the order might take, so customers know when it will be delivered.
Setting up a delivery fee, and sending text alerts are other ways to customize the restaurant's online ordering system.
The in-house delivery option costs .50 cents per order. Most businesses markup the price of their offerings to make sure the customer is covering the cost.
Pick up cost ZERO
In-house delivery….50 cents per order
On-demand delivery… $1.50 per order.
There is a fee for processing your order, which costs 2.9% per transaction +.30 cents.
So basically, there is no fee to set up the page, but there are delivery fees and credit card transaction fees.
There are many benefits of using Square as an online ordering system for your restaurant.
There is an option to sell e-gift cards.
Can sell merchandise or other food pantry options like food boxes and other staples.
Best of all, this POS system has a simple interface, which makes it easy to train your staff.
It can integrate with an existing website that you already have by just adding the sublink.
2.) Chownow is the next online food ordering system I recommend.
Chownow might be an excellent alternative to Square because there is a cap on the fees, so if you have a more significant franchise, then Chownow might be a good alternative.
It’s 149.00 a month and has no commission fee. There’s a $400 setup fee per location.
If you pay annually, it’s $119.00 per month and a $200 set-up fee per location.
Credit card processing fees: Visa, Master Card 10 cents + 2.8% per transaction • American Express 15 cents + 3.5% per transaction.
Chow now has a simple interface as well, and it’s easy to use. It can easily be added to your existing website and integrates well with Squarespace websites.
One drawback is…….It might not integrate with your POS system. With that said, I’ve heard restaurants love ChowNow so much; they don’t mind if it doesn’t integrate with their POS because the potential value it has to streamline their business outweighs the drawbacks.
Online ordering is increasing a lot, so having a streamlined ordering system for your vegan restaurant is a must.
The interface is intuitive and only takes a couple of minutes to train your staff.
Chownow is a commission-free restaurant online ordering system.
It’s really customizable and if you have a bunch of restrictions, like limiting certain times people can order foods on your menu, chow now is able to accommodate that.
Chow now also has a marketing team that is available to help with your business.
There are no third-party ordering fees, and a tablet comes with the plan.
3.) Tock is a new online ordering software that became popular during the pandemic.
Tock is a restaurant ordering app that has a done-for-you service that includes pretty much everything which can help reduce your expenses.
They have in-house delivery teams which take care of managing deliveries.
You can sell meal kits, e-commerce, or whatever you want in any format!
Your restaurant is featured on the main website which will help drive visitors to your site.
They have their own POS system.
Table management and reservation system
Event management.
Pricing
Between $200-$700 a month depending on what plan.
